Listen Here:
Click or simply search “Sigma Nutrition” on your podcast platform of choice.
Or listen directly on the Sigma website here.
Introduction
There is now widespread use of various “artificial sweeteners” in foods and beverages. Most commonly non-nutritive sweeteners are used to sweeten a products, whilst having less sugar and calories than a traditionally sugar-sweetened version of that product. For example, diet drinks (e.g. diet soda) are most commonly associated with artificial sweeteners. However, they are also in a wide variety of food products and supplements.
For a long-time there has been skepticism and alarm raised about their potential health effects. From claims of them increasing our food intake, all the way to causing cancer. And food safety authorities have conducted rigorous examinations of the safety data on each of these compounds.
In this episode, the Sigma team discuss the initial research that raised alarm bells, the current process of safety evaluation for non-nutritive sweeteners, the amounts they are consumed in, and the studies published thus far examining their health impacts.
Related resources
- Join the Sigma newsletter for free
- Subscribe to Sigma Nutrition Premium
- Become a member of Alan Flanagan’s Alinea Nutrition Education Hub
- Enroll in the next cohort of our Applied Nutrition Literacy course
- [01:28]Definitions, why use them, safe levels, metabolism
- [19:38]Cancer risk & NNS
- [37:33]NNS & body weight
- [51:37]NNS & glycemia
- [1:05:12]Why is there so much demonization?
- [1:16:17]Conclusions
The Hosts
Click through to your app of choice to listen and subscribe:
Dr. Alan Flanagan has a PhD in nutrition from the University of Surrey, where his doctoral research focused on circadian rhythms, feeding, and chrononutrition.
This work was based on human intervention trials. He also has a Masters in Nutritional Medicine from the same institution.
Dr. Flanagan is a regular co-host of Sigma Nutrition Radio. He also produces written content for Sigma Nutrition, as part of his role as Research Communication Officer.
Danny Lennon has a master’s degree (MSc.) in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork, and he is the founder of Sigma Nutrition.
Danny is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association, the global regulatory body responsible for the standardisation of best practice in the sports nutrition profession.
Key Ideas
Danny’s Key Ideas from this episode are:
- What does “safe levels” really mean?
- How to critically address statements of: “But here’s a study showing harm…”
#1: What does “safe levels” really mean?
Prior to approval, several toxicokinetics studies are carried out. Toxicokinetics is essentially looking at the fate of the sweeteners once ingested, including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).
Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for any food additive set for use in the EU by EFSA and in the U.S. by the FDA, through a process involving submission of both scientific safety evaluation and technical data.
NOAEL (“No Observable Adverse Effect Level”) = highest level at which no negative sides effects have been observed in safety studies/animal toxicology studies.
ADI = established by dividing the NOAEL by an “uncertainty factor” of 100.
