Brussels, 8th January 2026: In response to the publication of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030, the International Sweeteners Association (ISA) highlights strong scientific evidence showing that low/no calorie sweeteners (LNCS) can support the important public health goal of sugar reduction.
As acknowledged in the Scientific Foundation for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, clinical and public health guidelines should prioritise high-quality, causal evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs), the gold standard in nutrition research. However, recommendations on low/no calorie sweeteners included in these guidelines are mainly based on systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies. Potential health risks identified in these studies may be influenced by methodological issues, such as reverse causality, rather than direct effects of sweeteners themselves.
Evidence from both short- and long-term RCTs consistently indicates that low/no calorie sweeteners, when substituted for free sugars, can help reduce energy intake and body weight when used as part of a balanced diet and lifestyle. A thorough recently published umbrella review showed that while “naïve” analyses of observational cohort studies often associate LNCS with increased risks of obesity and diabetes, “bias-adjusted” analyses of prospective cohorts with better study design show the opposite, aligning with RCT data: when LNCS are used to replace sugar and reduce overall calories, they were associated with lower body weight and obesity, coronary heart disease, cardiovascular and all-cause mortality.
Low/no calorie sweeteners are also beneficial for people living with diabetes, as they do not affect blood glucose control and can help manage carbohydrate intake. Additionally, being non-cariogenic, low/no calorie sweeteners can contribute to good dental health.
As obesity and non-communicable diseases continue to be major global health challenges, public health authorities are encouraging food and beverage manufacturers to reduce sugar and calories in their products. Low/no calorie sweeteners can play a valuable role in achieving these reformulation goals.