A new opinion piece from the journal Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism is making headlines from NPR to CBS to WebMD warning readers of the dangers of low-calorie artificial sweeteners, like those found in diet sodas and other low-calorie foods and beverages.
THE CASE AGAINST SWEETENERS
The piece—touted by some as a study—was written by Purdue's Dr. Susan Swithers, a professor of behavioral neuroscience, and hyped by a press release titled "The dark side of artificial sweeteners." In it, she pegs the consumption of artificially sweetened beverages to obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, all of which raise the risk of heart attack and stroke. Going even further, she says the sweeteners may not even satisfy sugary cravings, citing lab evidence from mice and rats that she says shows consuming such sweeteners weakens physiological responses to sweet tastes and results in over-consumption of high-calorie sweets that pack on pounds. She could have a point—a San Antonio Heart Study found a strong link between diet soda and weight gain, and a multi-ethnic study including 5,000 men and women found diet soda consumption increased the risk of type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
WHAT THE RESEARCH SHOWS
The big problem with all of this is that, at the end of the day, an opinion piece is still just an opinion piece, and there's an established body of research that has found no association between artificial sweetener consumption and increased health risks. According to an American Beverage Association response, low-calorie sweeteners "are some of the most studied and reviewed ingredients in the food supply today." They've been approved by not only the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association, but by the European Food Safety Authority and leading toxicologists worldwide. As it stands right now, the sensationalism spinning out of the piece's publication calls to mind the many rumors over the years that linked the sweetener aspartame to cancer—rumors that have repeatedly been debunked due to a lack of substantial data and evidence. Not only that, but a Boston Children's Hospital study found that overweight teens saw improvements after switching to diet sodas and other low-calorie options.
As you can see, both sides have scientific evidence in their favor. As it stands right now, though, it's probably safe to remain on the side with the most evidence and continue using artificial sweeteners in low-calorie foods and beverages.
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