According to the World Health Organization (WHO), foods labeled as “zero sugar” or “zero calories” are not the solution for those who want to lose weight. for fat reduction in adults or children. In addition, nutritionists warn that these foods will only permanently predispose you to a weak tolerance for sweets.

The new WHO guidelines are based on systematic reviews of several studies and warn that substitutes, in addition to not helping you lose weight, may have unwanted long-term effects, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mortality among adults.

“Replacing free sugars with sweeteners does not help with long-term weight control. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugar intake, such as eating foods with natural sugars such as fruit or unsweetened foods and drinks,” said Francesco Branca, WHO director of nutrition and food safety.

Artificial sweeteners are most often used

According to the WHO representative, artificial sweeteners have no nutritional value.

The new WHO guidelines apply to all people except those with pre-diabetes and include all synthetic and natural or modified non-nutritive sweeteners that are not classified as sugars and are contained in foods and beverages or sold separately for consumer use.

The following artificial sweeteners are approved for use in the United States and/or the European Union:

• aspartame (E951) – it is 200 times sweeter than sugar;

• acesulfame potassium (E950). Also known as acesulfame K, it is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Suitable for cooking and baking;

• aspartame-acesulfame salt. It is 350 times sweeter than sugar and is obtained from a combination of aspartame and acesulfame K;

• cyclamate. It is 50 times sweeter than sugar and can be used in cooking and baking. However, it has been banned in the US since 1970;

•neotam (E961) is a new generation artificial sweetener. It is 13,000 times sweeter than sugar and is suitable for cooking and baking;

• neohesperidin (E959) – it is 340 times sweeter than sugar and is suitable for cooking, baking and mixing with acidic products. Not approved for use in the United States;

•saccharin. It is 700 times sweeter than sugar;

• sucralose – it is 600 times sweeter than sugar, suitable for cooking, baking and mixing with acidic products.

The recommendation does not apply to personal care products and personal care products that contain artificial sweeteners, such as toothpaste, skin cream and medicine, or low-calorie sugars, which are sugars or sugar derivatives that contain calories.

Stevia is also an artificial sweetener

As for stevia, Francesco Branca, the WHO’s director of nutrition and food safety, said it is a new sweetener and there is not enough research in the literature, but it likely works in the same way as other sweeteners.

Many people consider stevia-based products to be more “natural” because they are derived from the plant. However, some natural and artificial sweeteners are mixed with sugar.

A recent study by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in the US found that erythritol, which is used to sweeten stevia, is linked to blood clotting problems, stroke, heart attack and early death. The study found that people with pre-existing risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as diabetes, were twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke if they had elevated erythritol levels in their blood.

Research on which the WHO recommendation is based

The review cited by WHO is based on 238 studies. Both randomized controlled trials, considered the gold standard of research, and observational studies were included. Observational studies can only show an association, not a direct relationship between cause and effect.

According to the report, results from randomized trials showed that using sugar-free sweeteners had a “low” effect on weight loss and calorie intake compared to sugar and did not cause changes in intermediate markers of diabetes such as glucose and insulin. .

Observational studies also found reduced effects on body weight and adipose tissue, but did not alter caloric intake. But those studies found small increases in the risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease and death from heart disease, the report said. There was also a very low risk of bladder cancer and premature death from any cause.

The WHO said the recommendation was “conditional” because the association between sweeteners and disease outcomes could be influenced by the characteristics of study participants.

The International Sweeteners Association stated that “not recognizing the public health benefits of non-caloric sweeteners is wrong, and WHO’s conclusions are largely based on low-quality observational data that are at high risk of reverse causation.”

However, observational studies that follow people over time are important, said WHO expert Francesco Branca.

What do we replace sugar with?

“Whenever my patients ask me what they can replace the sugar with so that they are okay weight-wise but still enjoy the same sweet taste, my answer is NOTHING. Because a sweet tooth will forever predispose you to a weak tolerance for sweets,” Dr. Ruxandra Plešea, specialist in nutrition, diabetes and metabolic diseases, told smartliving.ro.

The nutritionist claims that frequent consumption of sweets leads to changes in the brain through the process of neuroplasticity. Somehow the brain adapts to the constant stimulation of sweets (as it does with other stimulants and behaviors) and requires larger and larger doses to produce the same sense of satisfaction. On the other hand, there are also inhibitory neurons that are part of another system and oppose the “pleasure system” by controlling our behavior. This system is located in the area of ​​the brain responsible for decision making, impulse control, and delaying reward by releasing molecules called GABA.

When we eat a lot of sweets, we also inhibit this system, releasing GABA, which further complicates the situation. In fact, what we eat, ie sweets, even affects our resistance mechanisms. The sweet taste becomes more and more intense, and our resistance to it weakens.

“Eventually you’ll also eat sweet bread, sweet steak sauce and fries with ice cream, no exaggeration. If you want to get rid of your sweet addiction, you will have to give the sweet receptors in your brain a break, so you will have to avoid sugar, honey, syrups, molasses and artificial sweeteners, because otherwise you will want to eat sweets endlessly, even after a hearty meal, even when you are not hungry,” concludes doctor Rulksandra Pleshea.

So, the first step to getting rid of an uncontrollable desire for sweets is to avoid them: stop buying them, stop keeping them at home, reward yourself with something else instead of sweets. The second step is to eat a balanced diet high in nutrients and avoid deficiencies in chromium, magnesium, or tryptophan, which support sweet cravings.

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