Artificial Sweetener Use Tied to Less-Healthy Diets

Folks who switch to artificial sweeteners in drinks and food may be drawn to other types of unhealthy fare — bringing down the quality of their overall diet, new research suggests.

The study, published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, tracked the diets of almost 164,000 people averaging 53 years of age, about four-fifths of who were women. All were enrolled in an ongoing American Cancer Society (ACS) study aimed at cancer prevention.

Levels of folks’ intake of artificial sweeteners — in packets, beverages and yogurt — was tracked along with a host of other foods. The qualty of people’s overall diet was assessed using the ACS Diet Score.

The research showed that as levels of artificial sweeteners rose, the overall quality of folks’ diets declined.

For example, increased artificial sweetener intake was linked to a lower consumption of fruits and vegetables, the study found, but more processed foods.

Why might that be so?

Although the sweeteners are “used to replace added sugar, our study demonstrates consumers of food and beverages with sugar substitutes are also consuming other foods and beverages that are high in nutrients of concern, such as saturated fats, sodium and added sugar,” said study lead author Allison Sylvetsky. She’s an associate professor of exercise and nutrition sciences at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

In fact, at the highest level of artificial sweetener intake — four servings or more per day — people were 43% more likely to have a low-quality diet than people who didn’t use the sugar substitutes, Sylvetsky’s team found.

The bottom line, according to the researchers: “Non-nutritive sweetener consumers had lower diet quality in a large cohort of U.S. adults.”

More information

Find out more about artificial sweeteners at the Mayo Clinic.

SOURCE: George Washington University, news release, Dec. 16, 2024; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Nov. 25, 2024