NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENERS

AND WEIGHT STATUS

Stephanie Ng
NTRS 521
Winter Quarter 2016
California State University, Los Angeles

Background
high sugar products and beverages obesity crisis in America
WHO recommendation: < 6tsp added sugar/day
too much sugar lead to weight gain
increased intake of non-nutritive sweeteners for weight
management

NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENERS (NNS)

AKA artificial sweetener
= food additives
designed to replace foods that consumers crave without added
calories
provide satisfying sweet taste of sugar
found as either 0 calorie, or low-calorie
provide fewer calories/gram than sugar = not metabolized
no nutritional benefits
regulated by FDA

6 FDA approved Sugar Substitutes

-

Aspartame
-

Acesulfame-K
-

Sweet N Low
Sweet Twin
Necta Sweet

Sucralose
-

Sweet one, Sweet & safe, Sunnet

Neotame
Saccharin = most popular!
-

found in over 6000 foods

fruit juice, weight loss shakes, gum gelatin, pie filling, yogurt, flavored water
NutraSweet, Equal, Sugar Twin brands

Splenda

Advantame

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
NNS may not be effective for weight management, but lead
to weight gain
2015 study: diet drinks with NNS waist circumference and
obesity
(+) correlation between NNS and weight gain
person consumes more food
disrupts with bodys metabolism

A TRIAL OF SUGAR FREE OR SUGAR

SWEETENED BEVERAGES AND
BODY WEIGHT IN CHILDREN
-

18 months
school children in Amsterdam
consume daily 8 oz NNS drink/sugar-sweetened drink ( 104 kcal)
NNS group gained less body fat

- non caloric sweeteners in drinks may reduce weight

gain and fat mass for children

Sucrose vs. artificial sweeteners: body weight after 10 wk of

supplementation in overweight subjects
- consume sucrose/NNS in at least 70% drinks and 30% from solid
foods
- sucrose group 3x energy intake, increased BW and FM.
- overconsumption due to liquid sugar foods liquids less
satisfying
- mostly women subjects = female hormone estradiol

THE EFFECTS OF WATER AND NON-NUTRITIVE

SWEETENED BEVERAGES ON WEIGHT LOSS
DURING A 12 WEEK WEIGHT LOSS TREATMENT.
- subjects BMI 27-40
- drink at least 24 oz of NNS/water
- weight loss: NNS beverage group > water group
- 64.3% and 43% weight loss
- hunger scores were lower among NNS mechanism unknown
- NNS beverage group better adhere to dietary
recommendations with less hunger

Consumption of low-calorie
sweeteners is associated with
higher Healthy Eating Index scores
and more physical activity

FURTHER IMPLICATIONS
Encourage NNS for weight management
NNS users are more likely to be proactive with health
Product marked as sugar-free is not free of calories
Do not avoid sugar from naturally-occurring ones
NNS use isnt solution balanced diet & physical exercise