Sweet Truths: What the UK Says About Non-Sugar Sweeteners (NSS)

Considering a switch from sugar to sweeteners? You're not alone! As more people seek healthier eating habits and aim to reduce sugar intake, non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) — such as aspartame and stevia — have gained immense popularity. But are they truly the better option?

The UK’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) recently reviewed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) advice on sweeteners and provided their own insights. Here's what you need to know 👇

🧁 What Are Non-Sugar Sweeteners?

Non-sugar sweeteners are ingredients added to food and beverages to impart a sweet taste without the calories found in real sugar. You’ll find them in:

• Diet fizzy drinks 🥤

• Sugar-free chewing gum

• “Light” or “low-calorie” desserts 🍨

• Sweeteners for coffee or tea ☕

Some common NSS are:

• Aspartame

• Sucralose

• Steviol glycosides (from stevia 🌿)

• Saccharin

They are often marketed as a means to maintain a slim figure and safeguard your teeth — but is the science behind them truly as sweet as it seems?

🔍 What Did SACN Look At?

SACN looked at whether using NSS could help with:

• Losing weight or preventing obesity ⚖️

• Avoiding diet-related diseases like type 2 diabetes 🩺

• Improving dental health 😁

They also examined how much data we have on people in the UK consuming these sweeteners — and the answer is, not enough!

📊 SACN’s Key Findings

1. Weight and Health Benefits? Not So Clear

NSS might help people reduce weight in the short term, especially if they replace sugary foods. However, there isn't enough strong evidence to suggest that they are beneficial in the long run.

Conclusion? NSS aren’t magical; they’re not guaranteed to help you stay slim or prevent disease.

2. Teeth Talk: Is It Better for Your Smile?

Replacing sugar with NSS may help reduce the risk of tooth decay since sugar is a major cause 🦷. However, NSS themselves don’t appear to actively protect your teeth.

So yes, it’s better than sugar — but not a dental superhero 🦸‍♂️.

3. We Don’t Know How Much People Are Consuming

There isn't enough data on how much NSS individuals in the UK are actually consuming. This makes it difficult to study long-term effects or develop clear public health policies.

🧠 SACN’s Recommendations (in Plain English)

👶 For Little Kids:

Avoid offering them drinks or foods with any added sweeteners — whether sugar or not. Allow their taste buds to develop without excessive sweetness.

👩‍🎓👨‍🍳 For Older Kids, Teens and Adults:

It’s acceptable to occasionally swap sugar for sweeteners to help reduce sugar intake. However, the best approach is to gradually adjust to less sweetness overall — whether using NSS or not.

🏛️ What SACN Wants the Government to Do

SACN says the government should:

1. Track Sweeteners in Food and Drinks 🛒 This way, we can know how much is in the products we buy.

2. Understand How Policies Affect Consumption. If people eat less sugar, are they consuming more sweeteners? We need to find out!

3. Get the Food Industry to Share Information. Companies should be more transparent about how much sweetener is in their products.

🧁 So… Are Sweeteners Good or Bad?

Honestly, it is complicated.

✅ They’re better than sugar for cutting calories and reducing tooth decay.

❌ However, they’re not a long-term solution, and we still don’t fully understand their health effects.

The key takeaway? It’s not about finding the perfect sweetener — it’s about creating a balanced diet and training your taste buds to crave less sugar overall 🍎🥦.

🔍 Quick Summary

• SACN reviewed WHO’s sweetener advice and mostly agreed with it

• NSS may help reduce sugar intake in the short term

• Long-term health benefits? Still unclear

• Try to reduce both sugar and sweeteners where you can

• Start building habits that don’t rely on sweet tastes at all!