World Health Organisation's latest guidelines warn against the use of non-sugar sweeteners to lose weight or reduce risk of non-communicable diseases.
The use of non-sugar sweeteners has increased in the past many years as they are considered a low-calorie and healthier alternative to sugar. World Health Organisation's latest guidelines warn against the use of non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) to lose weight or reduce risk of non-communicable diseases adding that its long-term use is linked to diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, among others in adults. Common non-sugar sweeteners include acesulfame K, aspartame, advantame, cyclamates, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia and stevia derivatives.
Here are 4 important points to understand from WHO guidelines regarding use of non-sugar sweeteners:
"Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages,” says Francesco Branca, WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety.
"People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health," said Branca.
1. They do not help in losing weight in non diabetics so not a good weight loss strategy.
2. Adverse effects with long-term use have been reported as associations, not as clear cause and effect.
3. Never use in childhood or pregnancy
4. Others: Avoid as far as possible. If your sweet tooth bothers you a lot, restrict to occasional use.
5. American, European, Indian diabetes associations do not prohibit them. No need to panic if you have been a user.
6. Do not forget sugar is a big culprit in lifestyle diseases. Do not lapse back into increased sugar consumption.
7. Natural sugar substitutes like jaggery have the same amount of calories as white sugar.
8. The trick is to train our taste buds to avoid longing for sugar.
And this starts in childhood.
Disclaimer: This Article is auto-generated from the HT news service.