As people become more health conscious and the problem of excessive sugar consumption becomes more widely known, consumption of sugary soft drinks is declining worldwide. Health and nutrition experts have compiled a summary of the nutritional benefits and health effects of artificially sweetened diet drinks, which have become popular as an alternative to sugary juices.
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The consumption of sugary soft drinks is the decline in countries around the world, including Japan. In Australia, for example, consumption of sweetened beverages fell by 27% between 1997 and 2018.
Professor Lauren Ball of the University of Queensland in Australia and Emily Birch, a registered dietitian and lecturer at Southern Cross University, called it a “major success for public health”.
the WHO also recommends limiting free sugar intake to less than 10% of total daily energy intake and ideally less than 5%, which equates to limiting sugar intake to less than about 25g (about 6 teaspoons) per day. When you consider that a 335ml can of Coca-Cola contains 7 teaspoons of sugar, you can see how important it is to limit sugary drinks.
While consumption of sugary drinks is declining, consumption of artificially sweetened diet drinks is skyrocketing. Their popularity is so high that artificial sweeteners have been found in 90% of Australian wastewater samples. But while many people know they should be consuming fewer sugary drinks, less is known about the long-term effects of diet drinks.
Long-term effect 1: Aspartame
Diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin and sucralose. While most food authorities consider these sweeteners to be safe, some studies point to their long-term health effects.
For example, a 2015
A study examining the association between diet drink consumption and metabolic syndrome in Western countries found that people who frequently or regularly drink diet drinks were more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease than non-drinkers, even when the effects of diet and lifestyle were taken into account.
In addition, in 2023, the WHO published a report stating that “aspartame, the main sweetener in diet beverages, has been classified as possibly carcinogenic.”
WHO plans to classify the sweetener aspartame as carcinogenic – GIGAZINE
It is important to note that so far, aspartame has only been linked to a possible increased rate of cancer. In its report, the WHO stated that there is not yet enough scientific evidence to conclude with certainty that aspartame consumption increases the risk of cancer, but stressed that “occasional consumption of aspartame is safe.”
◆Long-term effect 2: Diet effect
According to Professor Ball and his colleagues, despite the word “diet” in their name, diet drinks have little to do with weight control.
In 2022, the WHO carried out A systematic review of various research findings on artificial sweeteners and weight control. The result: In randomized, controlled trials in which participants were divided into groups and given an intervention, “people who consumed artificial sweeteners lost some weight.”
However, an observational study that monitored participants’ health over a long period of time and without any intervention found that people who consumed large amounts of artificial sweeteners had a higher risk of increased BMI and were 76% more likely to become obese.
In other words, artificial sweeteners may not be helpful in long-term weight management. That is why the WHO recommends avoiding the use of artificial sweeteners for weight management.
WHO report: “Sugar-free”, “calorie-free” and “artificial sweeteners” do not help with weight loss and increase the risk of diabetes – GIGAZINE
The mechanism by which artificial sweeteners cause weight gain in people who frequently consume them is still unclear. Views Animal studies suggest that consuming large amounts of artificial sweeteners may send signals to the brain about an energy deficit, leading to increased eating.
Long-term effect 3: Gastrointestinal and dental health
Accordingly a study Several reports published in 2023 suggest that artificial sweeteners can irritate and inflame the mucous membranes of the digestive system, increasing the risk of diarrhea, constipation, bloating and other symptoms that Irritable bowel syndrome .
However, the study also noted that “further research is needed to weigh the risks of artificial sweeteners against the benefits of reduced sugar intake.”
In addition, although artificial sweeteners themselves rarely cause tooth decay, many soft drinks contain phosphoric acid and citric acid, which can dissolve tooth enamel and promote acid breakdown.
Diploma
Based on these findings, Professor Ball and his colleagues wrote: “As with most things in nutrition, moderation is key with diet drinks. While occasional consumption of a diet drink is unlikely to pose health risks, frequent or excessive consumption may increase long-term health risks. Therefore, the best options for hydration are plain water, herbal tea, carbonated water, fruit or herbal flavored water and milk.’
