Choosing to consume artificial sweeteners is a personal choice that should be respected. However, this post aims to highlight two important messages:
1.) Complete avoidance of artificial sweeteners for a lifetime may be an incredibly difficult venture. This is because they are so abundant in commercial food products, supplements, medications, and hygiene items.
2.) Adamantly trying to avoid artificial sweeteners is unnecessary, and it is safe to consume them in moderation.
For decades now artificial sweeteners have been abundant in our food environment, and with this has come decades of randomised control trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analysis which have researched their effects on human health outcomes.
The verdict?
A regular intake of artificial sweeteners is not directly associated or the cause of adverse health concerns in humans. This includes metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cancer, irritable bowel disease, cardiovascular disease and others.
In fact, the current literature stands that one of the best ways to prevent a diagnosis of these types is to maintain a healthy bodyweight, and control overall energy intake and energy balance. Given this, the research is in favour of consuming artificially-sweetened products in replacement of their original counterparts (aka. Coke Zero vs Coca-Cola) if it means that an individual is less likely to consume an excess of calories beyond their requirements, and thus avoid the health implications of being overweight.
We understand, the word “artificial” can leave a weird taste in some people’s mouth (pardon the pun) compared to “natural”. However, it’s important to rest assured that a moderate consumption of artificial sweeteners in the context of an overall nutritious dietary pattern is safe.
The health of someone is largely determined by the foods they choose to INCLUDE within their diet, not the items they exclude. Therefore, we encourage others to not hyper-focus on restricting trace amounts of artificial sweeteners, but rather place an emphasis on including a wide variety of plants and lean protein sources from all food groups.
If you choose to add a Pepsi Max on top of this, you’ll be sweet!