The World Health Organization (WHO) said today that sweeteners are not effective for long-term weight control and may have unwanted effects if they are used for a long time, such as increased risk of diabetes type 2, cardiovascular diseases and mortality in adults.
For this reason, he advised against its use and pointed out that, in general, people should reduce the sweet of your diet, and you should do it from an early age to enjoy better health.
“Replace free sugars (the refined and the natural ones present in fruits, honey and others) by sweeteners does not offer any long-term benefit in terms of reducing fat in the body in adults or children”, assured the governing organization of public health at the global level.
Between the products Specific drugs that are not recommended include acesulfame K, aspartame, advantame, cyclamates, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, as well as stevia and its derivatives.
“People need to consider other ways to reduce the consumption free sugars, such as eating foods that naturally contain sugars, such as fruits; or food and drinks that are not sweet,” said WHO director of nutrition and food safety, Francesco Branca.
This recommendation applies to everyone except those with pre-existing diabetes.
The WHO also noted that this new recommendation includes synthetic sweetenersnatural or that have been modified, “that are not classified as sugars found in industrial foods and beverages” or that are sold separately to be added by the consumer.
On the other hand, the organization clarified that its position In relation to sweeteners, it does not apply to personal care or hygiene products that may contain them, such as toothpastes, skin creams or medicines.
Nor does it imply low-fat sugars calories or sugar alcohols, since these are derived from sugar and contain calories, so they are not considered sweeteners.
This set of recommendations is based on the conclusions of the review of evidence and is part of WHO’s efforts to encourage countries to adopt policies that favor healthy eating habits and quality diets, which reduce the risk of suffering from chronic diseases.