NON-SUGAR SWEETNERS - SCI & TECH
News: What
is WHO’s advice on non-sugar sweeteners?
What's in the news?
● The
World Health Organization (WHO) issued new guidelines advising against the use of Non-Sugar Sweeteners (NSS) like
aspartame, saccharin, stevia and other derivatives as a “healthy” alternative
to sugar.
Key takeaways:
● In
what WHO has called a ‘conditional’ guideline, it has suggested that non-sugar sweeteners should not be used as
a means of achieving weight control or reducing risk of diet-related
non-communicable diseases.
● The
spotlight on NSS intensified after 2015, when WHO had said that high intake of
free sugars is linked to weight gain and obesity, leading consumers to turn to
NSS as an alternative.
Non-sugar sweeteners (NSS):
● Non-sugar
sweeteners (NSS) are marketed as low or
no-calorie alternatives to free sugars which aid in weight loss, and in
controlling blood glucose in individuals with diabetes.
● NSS
categories studied by WHO include acesulfame
K, aspartame, advantame, cyclamates, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia, and
stevia derivatives.
● Aspartame
is popularly used to sweeten diet colas that claim to have ‘no sugar, no
calories.’
● Saccharin
is used, for instance, to sweeten tea or coffee.
Findings of WHO:
● The
WHO analyzed a total of 283 studies on the intake of NSS in adults and
children.
● The
outcome of the trials was that the WHO noted that ‘higher intake’ of NSS was
associated with a 76% increase in risk
of obesity and a 0.14 kg/m2 increase
in BMI (Body Mass Index).
● In
the final analysis, no evidence of
long-term benefit on reducing body fat in adults and children was found.
● It
warned that long-term use of NSS could lead to increased risk of Type 2
diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, chronic kidney disease and cancer.
Concerns in India:
● Health
experts point out that India should take necessary steps to guide people on NSS
because one in nine women and one in 25 men are obese, according to the
National Family Health Survey’s fifth round conducted between 2019 and 2021.
● Obese
people are more prone to suffer from diabetes. There are an estimated 25
million people living with pre-diabetes in India, according to WHO data.
WHO’s nutritional advice:
● WHO
recommends having alternative foods which are minimally processed, unsweetened foods and beverages.
● While
analyzing studies, WHO has found that weight loss in certain subjects cannot
entirely be attributed to switching from sugars to NSS, as it also depended on
having reduced portion size or energy intake of food.