Artificial Sweeteners

Context: 

The World Health Organisation recommended against using artificial sweeteners to achieve weight loss and prevent lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. 

About Artificial Sweeteners:

• Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes that provide sweetness to food and beverages without adding significant calories or raising blood sugar levels. 
• They are designed to mimic the taste of sugar, but with a much lower or zero caloric content.
• For Example:
  •  Aspartame, Saccharin

Recommendations of WHO:

• Not a substitute for the Diabetic Patients: 

• • The report emphasised that while there was a need to cut intake of sugar, it should not be replaced by artificial sweeteners.
  • They might interfere with the body’s capacity to control calorie intake and can result in overeating and increased cravings.
  • They reduce the body’s metabolic efficiency and make people feel lethargic and tired.

• Long Term Impacts:

• • While there could be some weight-loss and reduction in Body Mass Index in the short term as the artificial sweeteners bring down the calories consumed, but in the long run they have been linked to weight gain. 
  • The sweeteners have also been linked to an increased risk of Type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in the long run. 
  • The use of such artificial sweeteners is also linked to bladder cancer and preterm birth when consumed by pregnant women.
  • They can also impact neurotransmitter levels in the brain which can change mood and behaviour. 
  • They lower serotonin levels in the brain, a crucial neurotransmitter involved in controlling mood and anxiety.
  • News Source: Indian Express