Sweetener Association eV
Bonn (ots)
A WHO subgroup (NUGAG) makes a “weak recommendation” that zero-calorie sweeteners should not be used for weight control. She refers to a WHO overview study that found exactly the opposite: The consumption of calorie-free drinks sweetened with sweeteners is harmless and can positively support weight loss or weight management.
The fact that the WHO issues a recommendation that does not correspond to the study situation it commissioned and also excludes a large number of high-quality studies that confirm the benefits of sweeteners from its assessment is not only scientifically questionable, but leads without comprehensible justification for unnecessary uncertainty among consumers.
On May 15, the WHO Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) published its guidance on the use of sweeteners. As in last year’s draft guidance, the WHO subgroup recommends that noncaloric sweeteners should not be used as a means of controlling weight or reducing the risk of noncommunicable diseases. WHO-NUGAG rates its recommendation as “weak”. The reasoning behind the guideline is just as weak as the recommendation itself.
Although the WHO study (1) to which WHO-NUGAG refers explicitly supports the beneficial role of non-caloric sweeteners in reducing sugar and energy intake and thereby weight loss, WHO-NUGAG advises against their use for weight management away.
The WHO recommendation contradicts the current state of research and instead serves the political opinion trend
The WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety, Francesco Branca, states the aim of the new guideline: “In order to improve their health, people should reduce the sweetness of their diet from a young age (People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether , starting early in life, to improve their health).” “The WHO-NUGAG is not following the current state of research, but following a nutritional policy trend – away from a balanced and low-calorie diet towards a taste dictate that is intended to fundamentally change the taste preferences of consumers,” sums up Anja Roth, nutritionist and technical contact person of the Sweeteners Association (2).
According to the WHO subgroup, there is no clear consensus on whether sweeteners lead to long-term weight loss or whether they can have long-term health effects when habitually consumed within the acceptable daily intake.
“WHO-NUGAG comes to this conclusion because it doubts the results of its own reference study and disregards a large number of high-quality studies (3) that confirm the benefits of non-caloric sweeteners in weight management and the beneficial effects on blood sugar levels and dental health,” explains Anja Roth.
WHO-NUGAG openly admits the methodological weaknesses of their guideline
The review underlying the WHO-NUGAG guideline focuses primarily on observational studies. The selected studies claim that non-caloric sweeteners affect body weight, among other things.
“However, it is worth taking a look at the study design here, because it is in the nature of observational studies that they cannot prove a causal relationship. Rather, there is a risk of reverse causality. Reverse means: people consume sweeteners because they gain weight and not the other way around. In order to prove real causality, other study designs such as randomized controlled studies are used. However, why these studies in particular were not included in the WHO assessment is – at least from a purely scientific point of view – incomprehensible,” says Anja Roth.
“Weak recommendation” on a weak scientific basis causes unnecessary uncertainty among consumers
WHO-NUGAG is aware of the methodological weaknesses of its argument. It therefore only makes a conditional recommendation. With a so-called weak or conditional recommendation, the author acknowledges that there is considerable uncertainty about the risk-benefit balance of the recommendation. But even a weak recommendation is a recommendation: it will lead to massive uncertainty among consumers.
Zero-calorie sweeteners are an important support for people with diabetes. They use sweeteners because they provide a sweet taste without affecting blood sugar levels. However, this important consumer group is simply left out of the recommendation because, according to the WHO, this would go beyond the scope of the guideline. Of course, a WHO recommendation still has an impact on all consumers. Even if national and international diabetes specialist societies recognize the role of calorie-free sweeteners in the diet of people with diabetes, the guideline will also cause uncertainty here.
Safety of sweeteners is not in question
WHO emphasizes that evaluating the safety of sweeteners is not within the scope of the guidance, citing food safety authorities worldwide who confirm that all authorized zero-calorie sweeteners are safe within established ADI (allowable daily intake) limits.
Tastes are different
With the #tastesaredifferent campaign, the Sweeteners Association is campaigning against food bans, political recipe specifications and taste dictates and advocates a variety of tastes, a large range of foods and free choice for consumers.
Further information: www.schmaecker-sind-verschied.de
Sources/References:
1) World Health Organization, Rios-Leyvraz, Magali & Montez, Jason. (2022). Health effects of the use of non-sugar sweeteners: a systematic review and meta-analysis. World Health Organization. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
2) See also: Press release “Nobody likes a dictate of taste”
3) EFSA. Scientific opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to intense sweeteners http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2011.2229/epdf
About the Sweeteners Association:
The sweetener association was founded in 1970 with the aim of “promoting research in the field of sweeteners and the dissemination (publication) of research results and information to the public” (§ 3 of the association’s statutes). The association is committed to balanced and fact-based reporting on the subject of “sweetness” in the media. In the political sphere, too, he represents the interests of sweetener producing and using companies based in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Press contact:
Sweeteners Association (Germany)
Anja Roth
Tel.: 02203 20 89 45
[email protected]
www.suessstoff-verband.de
Agency contact:
Rhineland Relations GmbH
Carlotta Wehrmann
Tel.: 0228 299 753 22
[email protected]
Original content from: Süßstoff Verband eV, transmitted by news aktuell