No proven benefits of artificial sweetness

Energy-rich foods in general and sugar in particular has been singled out as the culprit, both for those who want to lose weight and avoid illness.

the Food industry has responded by pumping out a plethora of light products on the market, where the sugar has been replaced with artificial sweeteners. Today, these sweeteners in everything from grönsaksberedningar, marmalade and jam, soft drinks, ice cream and sports drinks.

a higher intake of these sweeteners truly result in a better health is the few, if not non-existent.

It says a group of european researchers after having analysed 56 studies where individuals, both adults and children, with high and low consumption of artificial sweeteners has been compared with each other. The dimensions analysed were body weight, blood glucose, dental health, mood, and the possible presence of cancer, heart disease, and kidney disease.

According to the researchers, who recently reported their findings in the British Medical Journal, there were no clinically relevant or statistically significant differences between those who had consumed more artificial sweeteners, compared with persons who had not consumed these sweeteners at all, or only to a small extent.

the researchers write, visible differences. As to adults who have a high intake, improvements in body mass index (BMI), compared with adults who have a small intake of these sweeteners. But the differences were usually small, and the probative value is so small that it is not possible to draw any conclusions of the studies. Other studies showed instead a negative impact of these sweeteners, however, even these studies were not considered to be able to prove anything, why the question about these sweeteners being or non-being remains.