Artificial sweetners linked to long-term weight gain, diabetes risk, heart disease and other health issues

You may be reaching for artificial sweeteners thinking they’re better for you because they have zero calories in drinks, candies and other processed goods but it may now interest you to know that consuming food and drink containing artificial sweeteners could lead to long-term weight gain and increased risk of suffering from health issues including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

A large-scale study on the effects of the sugar substitute found that consuming artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, sucralose and stevia, may be doing more harm than good as they can potentially negatively impact on a person's metabolism, gut bacteria and appetite.

Sweeteners are widely used as a low-kilojoule alternative to sugar, but researchers fear its perceived slimming abilities have been overblown  although the evidence is conflicting.

Instead it could lead to relatively increased threats of developing diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity, the study claims.

But the findings were dismissed by industry bosses, who said the no-kilojoule ingredient had been "deemed safe" by health regulators across the world. 

But scientists at the University of Manitoba, Canada are warning that they may be tied to long-term weight gain, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. 

They reviewed 37 studies following more than 400,000 people for an average of 10 years to unpick the realities behind artificial sweeteners.

They found that scientific evidence does "not clearly support" its intended weight-loss benefits, one author of the paper, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, said.

Despite the fact that millions of individuals routinely consume artificial sweeteners, relatively few patients have been included in clinical trials of these products, said Ryan Zarychanski, a professor from the Canadian institution.

Evidence about the benefits and drawbacks of sweeteners was conflicting, however, the study said.

Caution is warranted until the long-term health effects of artificial sweeteners are fully characterised, said Lead author Meghan Azad.

Given the widespread and increasing use of artificial sweeteners, and the current epidemic of obesity and related diseases, more research is needed to determine the long-term risks and benefits of these products.

The study is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)