KIDS shouldn’t be given drinks laden with artificial sweeteners, experts have warned over fears of long-term health issues.
It includes diet versions of fizzy drinks and anything labelled ‘sugar-free’ that has ingredients such as aspartame, stevia, saccharin and sucralose.
It’s previously been advised that young children – typically those under the age of five – do not have sugary drinks.
Now experts advising the government say they shouldn’t be given drinks sweetened artificially, either – but it may help those with obesity to lose weight initially.
The goal is to “limit both sugar and non-sugar sweeteners” in the long-term.
Academics said children should be accustomed to drinking water. from a young age.
Low or no calorie sweeteners are used instead of sugar to sweeten some foods and drinks.
These substances are found in products such as drinks, desserts and ready meals and cakes.
Sweeteners approved for use in the UK include acesulfame K, aspartame, erythritol, saccharin, sorbitol, steviol glycosides, sucralose and xylitol.
Some squash drinks contain sweeteners such as sucralose and acesulfame K.
Scientific evidence has linked sugar consumption to a range of health conditions including obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Therefore, switching to products with sweeteners has been argued to help people who are overweight or obese lose weight.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”The 7 ways you’re making your kids fat without knowing it – and why it might be time to bin your buggy-www.jennahopenutrition.com” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6362209350112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), which advises government on nutrition and related health matters, said there “may be some value” in sweeteners to ” using NSS to “help reduce weight gain in the short to medium term”.
But it is “not essential and is not the only option”, it added.
It added that for older children, sweeteners “may help reduce sugar intake”.
Global health leaders from the World Health Organisation said in 2023 that people should avoid these foods and drinks as a tool for weight control.
But SACN said some of the evidence assessed by the WHO about sweeteners and weight loss should be “treated with caution”.
While the evidence linking them to diseases like diabetes is “concerning”, it said the impact on tooth decay is “poor”.
‘Precautionary’ recommendation
The SACN is concerned there is a “gap in data on UK population exposure to NSS [non-sugar sweeteners]”.
And it said there is “currently insufficient evidence to carry out a full risk assessment of the evidence on NSS and health”.
Nonetheless, the committee made “precautionary” recommendations that younger children should not have drinks sweetened with sugar or NSS, and they should only be given unsweetened food.
[boxout headline=”Aspartame ‘may increase risk of heart attack and stroke’, says study “]RESEARCH published in Cell Metabolism earlier this year suggests aspartame, a common sugar substitute, may negatively impact vascular health.
It was shown to trigger insulin spikes in mice, which can lead to atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in arteries) and increased inflammation – potentially raising the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Researchers fed mice daily doses of food containing 0.15 per cent aspartame for 12 weeks – the equivalent of consuming about three cans of diet soda each day for humans, they said.
Aspartame-fed mice developed larger and more fatty plaques in their arteries compared to mice who weren’t given sweeteners.
They also showed higher levels of inflammation, both of which are hallmarks of poor cardiovascular health.
When the research team analysed the mice’s blood, they found a “surge” in insulin levels after aspartame entered their system.
They said aspartame – which is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar – seemed to “trick” the receptors into releasing more insulin.
The mice’s elevated insulin levels appeared to fuel the growth of fatty plaques in their arteries, researchers added.
Scientists not involved in the study said you don’t need to pour out your diet soda just yet – as we don’t yet know whether the artificial sweetener has the same effect on humans.
Commenting on the recommendations, Naveed Sattar, professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said: “I think this is a very balanced statement.
“I fully agree and would rather people take low calorie drinks with artificial sweeteners every time than sugar rich drinks both for weight and dental benefits and potentially other gains.
“However, SACN also correctly points out that until we have more evidence… it would be best to limit the intake of all such sweetened (including NSS) drinks in early childhood so that children become accustomed to drinking unsweetened drinks, preferably water.”
Prof Robin May, chief scientific adviser for the Food Standards Agency (FSA), said: “We welcome SACN’s advice on the consumption of non-sugar sweeteners and their call for further research.
“All sweeteners approved for use in foods in GB have been subject to a rigorous risk assessment before being authorised and the FSA maintains strict oversight of these products.
“We strongly support SACN’s call for industry to make data on the quantity of these sweeteners in their ingredients publicly available to provide better information on how much people are consuming and to help inform our assessments of these ingredients.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson added: “This government is committed to turning the tide on obesity and we have already taken bold action to block fast-food outlets near schools, alongside further measures to crack down on child-targeted junk food advertising on TV and online.
“These are just the first steps we’ll take as we shift the focus from sickness to prevention to deliver our Plan for Change and meet our ambition of raising the healthiest generation of children ever.”