Review of the nutritional benefits and risks related to intense sweeteners

[en] Background: The intense sweeteners currently authorised in Europe comprise ten compounds of various chemical natures. Their overall use has sharply risen in the last 20 years. These compounds are mainly used to formulate reduced-calorie products while maintaining sweetness. Methods: This extensive analysis of the literature reviews the data currently available on the potential nutritional benefits and risks related to the consumption of products containing intense sweeteners. Results and Conclusions: Regarding nutritional benefits, the available studies, while numerous, do not provide proof that the consumption of artificial sweeteners as sugar substitutes is beneficial in terms of weight management, blood glucose regulation in diabetic subjects or the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Regarding nutritional risks (incidence of type 2 diabetes, habituation to sweetness in adults, cancers, etc.), it is not possible based on the available data to establish a link between the occurrence of these risks and the consumption of artificial sweeteners. However, some studies underline the need to improve knowledge of the links between intense sweeteners consumption and certain risks.

Disciplines :

General & internal medicine
Public health, health care sciences & services

Author, co-author :

Bruyère, Olivier ; Université de Liège > Département des sciences de la santé publique > Santé publique, Epidémiologie et Economie de la santé

Ahmed, Serge H

Atlan, Catherine

Belegaud, Jacques

Bortolotti, Murielle

Canivenc-Lavier, Marie-Chantal

Charrière, Sybil

Girardet, Jean-Philippe

Houdart, Sabine

Kalonji, Esther

More authors (4 more)

Language :

English

Title :

Review of the nutritional benefits and risks related to intense sweeteners

Publication date :

2015

Journal title :

Archives of Public Health

ISSN :

0778-7367

eISSN :

2049-3258

Publisher :

Scientific Institute of Public Health, Bruxelles, Belgium

Volume :

Issue :

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 08 January 2016

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