Scientific library

The Science Library is a useful resource, which is easy to navigate, and provides abstracts and brief summaries with the main findings of key scientific studies published in peer-reviewed journals, on low/no calorie sweeteners’ safety, benefits and role in the diet.

Covering a wide range of topics such as the role of low/no calorie sweeteners in weight management and obesity, their use in diabetes management, their impact on oral health, their safety, the role of sweet taste overall, scientists and health professionals can easily find here all the latest studies of the scientific literature.

Author(s): Zhang R, Noronha JC, Khan TA, McGlynn N, Back S, Grant SM, Kendall CWC, Sievenpiper JL.
Publication name: Nutrients 2023;15(4):1050. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15041050
Publication year: 2023

Abstract Background: There has been an emerging concern that non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) can increase the risk of cardiometabolic disease. Much of the attention has focused on…

Author(s): Pavanello S, Moretto A, La Vecchia C, Alicandro G.
Publication name: Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2023 Mar;139:105369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2023.105369    
Publication year: 2023

Abstract Several toxicological and epidemiological studies were published during the last five decades on non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) and cancer. Despite the large amount of research,…

Author(s): Borghoff SJ, Cohen SS, Jiang X, Lea IA, Klaren WD, Chappell GA, Britt JK, Rivera BN, Choski NY, Wikoff DS.
Publication name: Food Chem Toxicol. 2023 Feb;172:113549. Epub 2022 December 6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2022.113549    
Publication year: 2023

Abstract Aspartame has been studied extensively and evaluated for its safety in foods and beverages yet concerns for its potential carcinogenicity have persisted, driven primarily…

Author(s): Yamada R, Tanaka Y, Sugimoto H, Kodama N, Yoshida R, Minagi S.
Publication name: Arch Oral Biol. 2023 Feb;146:105590
Publication year: 2022

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to determine changes in saliva secretion and subjective taste intensity during a sustained period with continuous gustatory stimulation. Design: Twenty-two healthy adults…

Author(s): Martyn D, Darch M, Floyd S, Ngo K, Fallah S
Publication name: Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2021.2010812
Publication year: 2022

Abstract This research examined the intakes of six low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) (acesulfame-K, aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin, steviol glycosides, and sucralose) by the Brazilian population…

Author(s): McGlynn ND, Khan TA, Wang L, Zhang R, Chiavaroli L, Au-Yeung F, Lee J, Norohna JC, Comelli, EM, Mejia SB, Ahmed A, Malik VS, Hill JO, Leiter LA, Agarwal A, Jeppesen PB, Rahelić D, Kahleová H, Salas-Salvadó J, Kendall CC, Sievenpiper JL.
Publication name: JAMA Network Open 2022;5(3):e222092. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.2092
Publication year: 2022

Abstract IMPORTANCE There are concerns that low- and no-calorie sweetened beverages (LNCSBs) do not have established benefits, with major dietary guidelines recommending the use of…

Author(s): Carvalho C, Correia D, Severo M, Magalhãesa V, Casal S, Ramos E, Lopes C, Torres D
Publication name: Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2022.2075039
Publication year: 2022

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate the risk of the Portuguese population’s exposure to six non-nutritive intense sweeteners (NNIS) and their main associated factors. A…

Author(s): Lee JJ, Khan TA, McGlynn N, Malik VS, Hill JO, Leiter LA, Jeppesen PB, Rahelić D, Kahleová H, Salas-Salvadó J, Kendall CWC, Sievenpiper JL.
Publication name: Diabetes Care. 2022 Aug 1;45(8):1917-1930. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc21-2130
Publication year: 2022

Abstract BACKGROUND Adverse associations of low- and no-calorie sweetened beverages (LNCSB) with cardiometabolic outcomes in observational studies may be explained by reverse causality and residual…

Author(s): Rios-Leyvraz M and Montez J (World Health Organization)
Publication name: World Health Organization (WHO). https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/353064. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
Publication year: 2022

Abstract – Summary The current systematic review and meta-analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that the use of low/no calorie sweeteners leads to…

Author(s): Debras C, Chazelas E, Srour B, Druesne-Pecollo N, Esseddik Y, Szabo de Edelenyi F, Agaësse C, De Sa A, Lutchia R, Gigandet S, Huybrechts I, Julia C, Kesse-Guyot E, Allès B, Andreeva VA, Galan P, Hercberg S, Deschasaux-Tanguy M, Touvier M.
Publication name: PLoS Med. 2022 Mar 24;19(3):e1003950.
Publication year: 2022

Abstract Background: The food industry uses artificial sweeteners in a wide range of foods and beverages as alternatives to added sugars, for which deleterious effects on…

Author(s): Fulgoni VL & Drewnowski A.
Publication name: Nutrients 2022; 14: 4957. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14234957
Publication year: 2022

Abstract Low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) serve to replace added sugars in beverages and foods. The present goal was to explore any potential links between LCS use…

Author(s): Lee HY, Jack M, Poon T, Noori D, Venditti C, Hamamji S, Musa-Veloso K.
Publication name: Advances in Nutrition 2021 Jan 13;nmaa157. doi:10.1093/advances/nmaa157
Publication year: 2021

Abstract Effects of isocaloric (sweetness differences but constant calories) preloads and isosweet (caloric differences but constant sweetness) preloads, as well as preloads that were neither…

Author(s): Miranda, C.; Martinez, N.; Sotomayor, G.
Publication name: Chilean Food Safety and Quality Agency (ACHIPIA)
Publication year: 2021

Abstract: The Chilean Food Safety and Quality Agency (ACHIPIA) conducted a chronic dietary exposure assessment, requested by the Ministry of Health of Chile (MINSAL). Four…

Author(s): Farhat G, Dewison F, Stevenson L.
Publication name: Nutrients 2021; 13(2): 444. doi:10.3390/nu13020444
Publication year: 2021

Abstract Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are popular sugar substitutes that can help in weight and diabetes management, but concerns regarding their use have been raised by…

Author(s): Zhu J, Liu J, Li Z, Xi R, Li Y, Peng X, Xu X, Zheng X, Zhou X
Publication name: BioMed Res Int. 2021 Jun 24; 9967035
Publication year: 2021

Abstract: Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs) are sugar substitutes widely used to reduce the negative health effects of excessive sugar consumption. Dental caries, one of the most…

Author(s): Chappell GA, Heintz MM, Borghoff SJ, Doepker CL, Wikoff DS.
Publication name: Food and Chemical Toxicology 2021;150:112045. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2021.112045
Publication year: 2021

Abstract Steviol glycosides are present in the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant, have a sweet taste, and have been used as a sweetener for centuries. To build on previous…

Author(s): Khan TA and Sievenpiper JL.
Publication name: Cell Metabolism 2021;33(2):P225-226.
Publication year: 2021

Abstract No abstract available Summary The Letter by Khan and Sievenpiper presents a re-analysis of data and discusses the findings of an earlier study by…

Author(s): Movahedian M, Golzan SA, Ashtary-Larky D, Clark CT, Asbaghi O & Hekmatdoost A.
Publication name: Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2021 Dec 9;1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.2012641
Publication year: 2021

Abstract: It has been posited that Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) intake may affect lipid profile. However, its proven effects on lipid profile are unclear, as clinical…

Author(s): Laviada-Molina H, Espinosa-Marrón A, Martinez-Portilla RJ, Molina-Segui F.
Publication name: Diabet Med. 2021 Jan 11:e14520. doi: 10.1111/dme.14520. Online ahead of print.
Publication year: 2021

Abstract There is a current debate on the effects of artificial sweeteners on health-related outcomes among different populations. Even when meta-analytic evidence has revealed that…

Author(s): Gallagher AM, Ashwell M, Halford JCG, Hardman CA, Maloney NG and Raben A.
Publication name: Journal on Nutritional Science 2021; 10:E7. doi:10.1017/jns.2020.59
Publication year: 2021

Abstract Overconsumption of free sugars, particularly from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), has potential negative health impacts. Implementation of a range of public health strategies is needed…

Author(s): Gujral J, Carr J, Tonucci D, Darwen C, Grotz VL.
Publication name: Toxicology Research and Application 2021;5:1–16. doi: 10.1177/23978473211019490 (open access)
Publication year: 2021

Abstract Regulatory agencies around the world have found sucralose to be a safe ingredient for use in food. A recent review by the German Federal…

Author(s): EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF)
Publication name: EFSA Journal 2021;19(11):6884
Publication year: 2021

Abstract The present opinion deals with the re-evaluation of thaumatin (E 957) when used as a food additive. Thaumatin is a natural plant protein, consisting…

Author(s): Normand M, Ritz C, Mela D, Raben A.
Publication name: BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2021; bmjnph-2020-000210. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2020-000210
Publication year: 2021

Abstract Objective Reviews on the relationship of low-energy sweeteners (LES) with body weight (BW) have reached widely differing conclusions. To assess possible citation bias, citation analysis…

Author(s): Barraj L, Bi X, Tran N
Publication name: Food Additives & Contaminants: Part A DOI: 10.1080/19440049.2021.1956692
Publication year: 2021

Abstract As obesity rates increase, several countries in Latin America have implemented strategies to curb the consumption of sugars, resulting in reformulations of products with…

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