According to a new study published in the journal Hospital Nutrition , low or no calorie sweeteners are safe and are not implicated in the development of non-communicable diseases.
“Sweeteners low in or without calories: myths and realities” is the name of the study that has just been published in the journal Nutrición Hospitalaria and that makes a systematic review of the research carried out in recent years in this regard. According to the conclusions obtained in it by the author of the study, Dr. Pilar Riobó, from the Endocrinology and Nutrition Service of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital, “foods or beverages where sugar has been replaced by low-calorie or no-calorie sweeteners can help maintain a healthy weight and also reduce it, as long as those who consume them have a healthy lifestyle, perform some physical activity, and most importantly, do not take excess calories as compensation for these foods ”.
From the point of view of Dr. Riobó, “the scientific evidence shows that these types of sweeteners that are currently on the market are safe and there is no epidemiological relationship with the appearance of non-communicable diseases.” In fact, for the specialist there is no doubt whatsoever about the controls carried out on this type of product: “low or no calorie sweeteners have been used safely for more than a century and are subject to strict controls” she points out.
In any case, as the researcher herself points out, greater efforts must be made to promote consumption habits based on healthy eating, physical exercise and consumer education based on scientific evidence.
