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): European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings
Publication name: EFSA J. 2025 Apr 30;23(4):e9317
Publication year: 2025

Abstract The present opinion deals with the re-evaluation of acesulfame K (E 950) as a food additive. Acesulfame K (E 950) is the chemically manufactured…

Author(s): Zare M, Zeinalabedini M, Ebrahimpour-Koujan S, Azadbakht L.
Publication name: Obes Rev. 2025 Jan 30:e13902. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13902
Publication year: 2025

Abstract Stevia is an intense, calorie-free sweetener that is frequently used to reduce energy intake; however, studies examining its effects on appetite and energy intake…

Author(s): Nolden AA, Makame J.
Publication name: Nutrients 2025, 17(1), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17010032
Publication year: 2025

Abstract Background/Objectives: Low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCSs) provide sweetness in food applications that are suggested to support consumers’ reduced consumption of caloric sweeteners and added…

Author(s): Scott CE, Stamataki N, Harrold JA, Raben A, Halford JCG.
Publication name: Nutr Bull. 2025 Apr 3. https://doi.org/10.1111/nbu.70006
Publication year: 2025

Abstract Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers (S&SEs) are ingredients used in foods and beverages to reduce sugar while providing the sweetness of sugar with little to…

Author(s): Čad EM, van der Kruijssen M, Tang CS, Pretorius L, de Jong HBT, Mars M, Appleton KM, de Graaf K.
Publication name: Food Quality and Preference. 2025;130:105536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105536
Publication year: 2025

Abstract Authoritative public health agencies, like the WHO, recommend reducing dietary sweetness to lower sweet liking, and thereby indirectly lowering sugar and energy intake. However,…

Author(s): Higgins KA, Rawal R, Kramer M, Baer DJ, Yerke A, Klurfeld DM.
Publication name: Adv Nutr. 2024 Dec;15(12):100239. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2024.100239
Publication year: 2024

Abstract Background: Numerous systematic reviews (SR) and meta-analyses (MA) on low calorie sweeteners (LCS) have been published in recent years, concluding that LCS have beneficial, neutral,…

Author(s): Zare M, Zeinalabedini M, Ebrahimpour-Koujan S, Bellissimo N, Azadbakht L.
Publication name: Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2024 Jul;18(7):103092. doi: 10.1016/j.dsx.2024.103092
Publication year: 2024

Abstract Background: The study investigates substituting non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) for sugar to address health concerns related to excess sugar intake. It specifically examines how stevia affects…

Author(s): Espinosa A, Mendoza K, Laviada-Molina H, Rangel-Méndez JA, Molina-Segui F, Sun Q, Tobias DK, Willett WC, Mattei J.
Publication name: Adv Nutr. 2024 Dec;15(12):100292. doi: 10.1016/j.advnut.2024.100292
Publication year: 2024

Abstract The effect of nonnutritive sweeteners (NNSs) on the body mass index [BMI (in kg/m2)] of children and adolescents remains unclear despite rising consumption. Detailed…

Author(s): Appleton, K. M.
Publication name: Nutrients. 2024 Oct 29;16(21):3672. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16213672
Publication year: 2024

Abstract Background/Objectives: Sweet taste preferences are currently targeted to aid with reducing free sugar intakes, but associations between sweet taste liking, sweet food intakes, and…

Author(s): Rostampour K, Moghtaderi F, Najafi A, Seyedjafari B, Salehi-Abargouei A.
Publication name: Front Nutr. 2024 Nov 13;11:1475962. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1475962
Publication year: 2024

Abstract Objectives: The effect of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs) on long-term satiety is not well understood. This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to investigate the effect…

Author(s): European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings
Publication name: EFSA Journal Volume22, Issue11, November 2024, e9044
Publication year: 2024

Abstract This opinion deals with the re-evaluation of saccharin and its sodium, potassium and calcium salts (E 954) as food additives. Saccharin is the chemically…

Author(s): Shahinfar H, Payandeh N, Zeraattalab-Motlagh S, Torabynasab K, Jayedi A, Ejtahed H, Hasani-Ranjbar S, Shab-Bidar S.
Publication name: Int J Obes (Lond). 2024 Nov 14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-024-01673-6
Publication year: 2024

Abstract Background: There is a lack of clarity on the comparative effects of different beverages on weight loss in adults. Objective: This study aimed at…

Author(s): Jeong GJ, Khan F, Tabassum N, Kim YM.
Publication name: Biofilm. 2024;7:100171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bioflm.2023.100171
Publication year: 2024

Abstract There is a growing interest in using sweeteners for taste improvement in the food and drink industry. Sweeteners were found to regulate the formation…

Author(s): Mela DJ, Risso D.
Publication name: Br J Nutr. 2024;131(11):1934-1944 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114524000485
Publication year: 2024

Abstract It is widely believed that exposure to sweetened foods and beverages stimulates the liking and desire for sweetness. Here we provide an updated review…

Author(s): Gibbons C, Beaulieu K, Almiron-Roig E, Navas-Carretero S, Martínez JA, O'Hara B, O'Connor D, Nazare JA, Le Bail A, Rannou C, Hardman C, Wilton M, Kjølbæk L, Scott C, Moshoyiannis H, Raben A, Harrold JA, Halford JCG, Finlayson G.
Publication name: EBioMedicine. 2024 Apr;102:105005. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105005
Publication year: 2024

Abstract Background: Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers (S&SE) are used to replace energy yielding sugars and maintain sweet taste in a wide range of products, but controversy…

Author(s): Mohan V, Manasa VS, Abirami K, Unnikrishnan R, Gayathri R, Geetha G, RamyaBai M, Padmavathi S, Rajalakshmi M, Pradeepa R, Anjana RM, Krishnaswamy K, Sudha V.
Publication name: Diabetes Ther. 2024 Sep;15(9):2061-2077. doi: 10.1007/s13300-024-01622-6
Publication year: 2024

Abstract Introduction: Country-specific evidence-based research is crucial for understanding the role of nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) in managing type 2 diabetes (T2D). The main aim of this…

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): 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…

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