Effects of low calorie sweeteners based on data from clinical trials, in vitro and animal studies

Low calorie sweeteners are used by many consumers as they can provide the sweet taste without calories and, therefore, they may have a beneficial effect on weight management. These positive outcomes are often questioned and accused of keeping up or increasing a liking for sweetness and leading to overconsumption of sugar containing food and beverages. The most recent studies failed to find any positive correlation between usage of low calorie sweeteners and craving for sweet taste. In randomized controlled trials consumption of low calorie sweeteners have accompanied with lower intake of sugar containing food, higher healthy eating index and better weight management. Several laboratory trials on cell cultures and animal studies found a link between the usage of low calorie sweeteners and positive metabolic effects, e.g. smaller ectopic fat deposits in the fat and liver tissue versus controll group. In addition, increased adipogenesis and reduction of lipolysis were also observed.