Major Review Shows Artificial Sweeteners Don’t Help Weight Loss
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Another major study has now revealed that artificial sweeteners don’t help weight loss any more than their full calorie sugar counterparts. Replacing sugar with zero calorie artificial sweeteners in beverages such as soft drinks doesn’t do what many of us would expect them to.
The major scientific review is the largest analysis conducted so far regarding the health impact of non-sugar sweeteners. It pointed out that even as they don’t help weight loss, science has yet to determine what the long-term consequences of their use could be. It is not clear what impact using them regularly or for several years will do to the body as it ages. It remains too early to know for certain what many of these chemicals will do to the body.
They Don’t Help Weight Loss but May not Harm it Either
At the same time that the German researchers found that artificial sweeteners don’t help weight loss, they also said that it was unclear as to whether or not it harmed weight loss efforts. They said there was inadequate evidence to support or refute claims that there would be increased harm from using non-sugar sweeteners over time.
While there have been many studies conducted on artificial sweeteners, there are many that say that they do and don’t help weight loss. This conflict has left many people wondering whether or not they should be used as a dieting tool.
What Did the Research Find?
This most recent research was a review of 56 top studies conducted on these substances. The outcome was that the was low or very low certainty in the effect of these products. They found that there was no evidence that obesity patients would lose weight by changing sugar for non-sugar sweeteners. Essentially, the research showed that studies so far show that non-sugar sweeteners don’t help weight loss in any way that would make them worthwhile to dieters.
Equally, while there had been some concern that consuming artificial sweeteners on a regular level could increase cancer risk, the review did not find a link of this nature.
The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Freiburg. It was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). It identified a striking lack of solid information about the long-term effects of using non-sugar sweeteners. When people use these products for years or decades, it is unknown what impact this has on their physical and mental health. This is greatly to do with the challenge in finding people willing to take part in this type of a study over that length of time.
