Use of non-sugar sweeteners: WHO guideline

Here’s their recommendation: “WHO suggests that non-sugar sweeteners not be used as a means of achieving weight control or reducing the risk of noncommunicable diseases” [0]

But this is a “conditional recommendation” that “should be considered in the context of WHO recommendations to reduce free sugars intake and other guidance promoting healthy diets, including WHO guidelines on carbohydrates, total fat, saturated and trans-fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, sodium and potassium.”

This is informed by their findings in ”Health effects of the use of non-sugar sweeteners: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” [1]

The executive summary for that review connects non-sugar substitutes with a low or very-low increase in the incidence of a number of health issues. However, if my quick-skim understanding is correct, the outlook is more positive when using the non-sugar substitutes is compared with… using sugar instead.

Here’s the first paragraph of the “Interpretation” section of that review/meta-analysis:

> The results suggest that, in the short term, NSS use may lead to small reductions in adiposity without any significant impact on cardiometabolic risk. There is suggestion of negative health effects with long-term use, but the evidence is ultimately inconclusive.

(That’s on page 43. The preceding Evidence section and the remainder of the Interpretation lend nuance and expand on what those “negative effects” are.)

0: (PDF, 700 kb) https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1501485/retrieve

1: (PDF, 30 mb) https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1417548/retrieve