POINT: Artificial Sweeteners and Obesity—Not the Solution and Potentially a Problem

Christofides, Elena A.

doi:10.1016/j.eprac.2021.08.001

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…In practice, the use of non-nutritive sweeteners as part of a weight-management strategy remains under debate [12][13][14]. Some studies in rodents and small mechanistic studies in humans have suggested that non-nutritive sweeteners potentially promote overweight and obesity through a variety of mechanisms such as changing eating behavior [15] or altering gut microbiota [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of non‐nutritive sweetened beverages versus water after a 12‐week weight‐loss program: A randomized controlled trial

Harrold

Hill

Radu

et al. 2023

Obesity

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Objective: The aim of this study was to compare non-nutritive sweetened (NNS) beverages versus water for weight loss after a 12-week behavioral weightmanagement program.Methods: This is an ongoing, 2-year, parallel-group, open-label, controlled equivalence trial; week-12 data are reported. Adults with BMI of 27 to 35 kg/m 2 who regularly drank cold beverages were randomized 1:1 to intention-to-treat water or NNS beverages while undergoing a weekly 12-week group behavioral weightmanagement program. Weight change to week 12 was the primary end point (equivalence: two-sided p > 0.05); changes in waist and hip circumference, blood pressure, glycemic control markers, fasting lipid profiles, liver function tests, hunger (visual analog scale), sugar and sweetener consumption, and activity levels were secondary end points.Results: Overall, 493 participants were randomized (water: n = 246; NNS beverages: n = 247); 24.1% were NNS beverage naïve. Weight change was equivalent with water versus NNS beverages (À5.6 vs. À5.8 kg; difference [90% CI]: À0.2 kg [À0.7 to 0.4]). There were no significant differences between groups for secondary end points except reductions in waist circumference (greater with NNS beverages vs. water), glycated hemoglobin, and consumption of any type of sweetener (both greater with water vs. NNS beverages).Conclusions: Weight loss was equivalent with NNS beverages and water following a 12-week behavioral weight-management program.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of non‐nutritive sweetened beverages versus water after a 12‐week weight‐loss program: A randomized controlled trial

Harrold

Hill

Radu

et al. 2023

Obesity

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“…This could reflect a greater use of NCS instead of added sugar in beverages, in order to avoid the “high-in sugar” octagon. Importantly, in some contexts, such as Mexico ( 34 ), the use of NCS could be perceived as positive because it signifies a reduction of (or no increase in) calories ( 35 ), and in some cases, the addition of a natural NCS could be perceived as healthier due to its natural origin ( 36 ). However, considering their possible adverse health effects ( 35 ), countries such as Mexico, are implementing warning messages for products using NCS ( 20 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marketing techniques, health, and nutritional claims on processed foods and beverages before and after the implementation of mandatory front-of-package warning labels in Peru

Saavedra-García

Taboada-Ramirez²,

Hernández-Vasquéz³

et al. 2022

Front. Nutr.

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In June 2019, mandatory front-of-package warning labels (FOPL) were implemented in Peru. The aim of the study was to describe changes in marketing strategies on packaging: marketing techniques (MT), health claims (HC), and nutritional claims (NC) on the packaging of products frequently consumed by children before and after the FOPL implementation. Product photos were taken pre- (March 2019) and post-implementation (March-October 2020) in three supermarkets in Lima, Peru. Following INFORMAS protocols and Peruvian Technical Norms, the presence of MT, HC, and NC was assessed on all package sides. Products were classified as “high-in” and “not high-in” based on the regulation threshold for critical nutrients. Differences in the proportion of products with each strategy in both periods were evaluated. Also, a subsample of products was matched according to the barcode and exact McNemar test was used to compare proportions of strategies pre/post-implementation. We included 883 and 1,035 products in pre- and post-implementation, respectively. In both periods, MT appeared on almost 70% of all products. The presence of HC increased significantly only for beverages (24.5–38.1%, p < 0.001). In both phases, NC were commonly used on beverages (>80%). Overall, the prevalence of “high-in” products using MT increased (73.6–82.1%, p = 0.007), while use of HC increased among “not high-in” products (32.9–41.6%, p < 0.001). There is a high frequency of MT on all products and NC on beverages. The increase in MT in “high-in” products may be an industry response to minimize the impact of the FOPL on food choices and sales. New regulatory aspects regarding labeling should be implemented to strengthen the current policy.

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“…Researchers have examined different approaches for reducing the sugar content of processed foods without adversely affecting their quality attributes, including using sugar substitutes, cross‐modal sensory interactions, and altering food structure to increase the perceived flavor intensity of sugar (Zhang et al., 2022). The use of sugar substitutes can reduce the total number of calories consumed, but there is some evidence that certain kinds of artificial sweeteners may alter the gut microbiome and dysregulate metabolic and hormonal responses to foods and beverages (Christofides, 2021; Suez et al., 2022). However, a recent meta‐analysis of studies with non‐nutritive sweeteners found that they did not cause adverse metabolic or endocrine effects (Zhang et al., 2023).…”

Section: Strategies To Redesign Upfs To Make Them Healthier and More ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing healthier and more sustainable ultraprocessed foods

McClements

2024

Comp Rev Food Sci Food Safe

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The food industry has been extremely successful in creating a broad range of delicious, affordable, convenient, and safe food and beverage products. However, many of these products are considered to be ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) that contain ingredients and are processed in a manner that may cause adverse health effects. This review article introduces the concept of UPFs and briefly discusses food products that fall into this category, including beverages, baked goods, snacks, confectionary, prepared meals, dressings, sauces, spreads, and processed meat and meat analogs. It then discusses correlations between consumption levels of UPFs and diet‐related chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes. The different reasons for the proposed ability of UPFs to increase the risk of these chronic diseases are then critically assessed, including displacement of whole foods, high energy densities, missing phytochemicals, contamination with packaging chemicals, hyperpalatability, harmful additives, rapid ingestion and digestion, and toxic reaction products. Then, potential strategies to overcome the current problems with UPFs are presented, including reducing energy density, balancing nutritional profile, fortification, increasing satiety response, modulating mastication and digestion, reengineering food structure, and precision processing. The central argument is that it may be possible to reformulate and reengineer many UPFs to improve their healthiness and sustainability, although this still needs to be proved using rigorous scientific studies.

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POINT: Artificial Sweeteners and Obesity—Not the Solution and Potentially a Problem

Cited by 13 publications

References 25 publications

Effects of non‐nutritive sweetened beverages versus water after a 12‐week weight‐loss program: A randomized controlled trial

Effects of non‐nutritive sweetened beverages versus water after a 12‐week weight‐loss program: A randomized controlled trial

Marketing techniques, health, and nutritional claims on processed foods and beverages before and after the implementation of mandatory front-of-package warning labels in Peru

Designing healthier and more sustainable ultraprocessed foods

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