Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are a potentially useful option for losing weight, with some caveats, announced the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association in a joint statement yesterday. Excess consumption of sugar can result in adverse health effects, including obesity and type 2 diabetes, yet NNS can provide foods with the same sweet taste without the worry of extra calories. But as the AHA and ADA statement points out, NNS will not yield a net benefit for weight control if extra calories are ingested as a reward for reducing dietary calories.
ACSH s Dr. Ruth Kava supports the notion that NNS can contribute to weight loss, adding that there have been studies showing that substitution of, for example, NNS beverages for sugared sodas can contribute to calorie control and thus to weight loss.
