WHO’s Recommendation on Non-Sugar Sweeteners

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) recent guidelines advised against the use of all synthetic and naturally occurring or modified non-sugar sweeteners such as acesulfame K (Ace-K), aspartame (Equal or NutraSweet), advantame, cyclamates (Sucaryl), neotame (Newtame), saccharin (Sweet’N Low), sucralose (Splenda), stevia and stevia derivatives. Aspartame has been declared a possible carcinogen.

The recommendation is based on a review of available evidence that suggests the use of these sweeteners does not provide a long-term benefit in reducing body fat — and “that there may be potential undesirable effects from long-term use … such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and mortality in adults.”

The WHO states more research needs to be done. But Dr. Michael Roizen, Cleveland Clinic chief wellness officer emeritus, cites a pair of small Israeli studies, randomized and controlled, in which researchers gave subjects a given sugar substitute to consume, then studied their gut microbiomes, uptake in metabolism and insulin resistance. Both found an increase in insulin resistance.

“When you eat something, your bacteria [in your gut] metabolize it or react to it,” he explains. “You can change not only your genes by what you eat, but you change the gene functioning of the bacteria inside you. And that gene functioning changes the compounds — the proteins those bacteria produce from the food they metabolize. What we know is those proteins inhibit the functioning of insulin in getting glucose into cells in these studies.”

Dr. Roizen adds that the result of this impediment to tioning is more glucose in the blood. High glucose levels increase the chances of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The WHO’s advisory does not include low-calorie sugars or sugar alcohols. But a recent Cleveland Clinic study showed an association between higher blood levels of erythritol, a compound made by all of the body’s cells as part of energy production as well as a sweetener made by fermenting corn, and an elevated risk of experiencing a major cardiac event such as heart attack, stroke or death. — LT

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