Sweetener Swaps Might Be Leading To Unhealthy Eating Habits
New research suggests that people who switch to artificial sweeteners in their food and drinks may end up making poorer dietary choices overall, potentially lowering the quality of their entire diet. Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study followed nearly 164,000 adults, mostly women, with an average age of 53. The participants were part of an ongoing American Cancer Society (ACS) study focused on cancer prevention.
The study tracked participants’ consumption of artificial sweeteners, including those in packets, beverages, and yogurt, alongside other foods. Researchers assessed the overall quality of participants’ diets using the ACS Diet Score, which considers a variety of dietary factors. The findings showed that as artificial sweetener intake increased, the quality of the participants’ diets decreased.
Specifically, higher consumption of artificial sweeteners was associated with a decrease in the intake of fruits and vegetables and an increase in the consumption of processed foods. The study’s lead author, Allison Sylvetsky, an associate professor at George Washington University, explained that while artificial sweeteners are often used to replace added sugars, those who consumed them also tended to eat more foods high in unhealthy ingredients like saturated fats, sodium, and added sugars.
At the highest levels of artificial sweetener consumption—four or more servings per day—participants were 43% more likely to have a poor-quality diet compared to those who did not consume sugar substitutes. Overall, the study concluded that adults who regularly consumed non-nutritive sweeteners had poorer diet quality, raising concerns about the broader impact of these substitutes on health.
Discussion about this post