LNCS: Safety, Efficacy, & Role in the Diet

Proven Safety of Low and No-Calorie Sweeteners

The world’s most highly regarded global scientific and regulatory food agencies, including the Food & Drug Administration and The World Health Organization maintain that low- and no-calorie sweeteners are safe for consumption.

Resources on the benefits and proven safety of low- and no- calorie sweeteners:

WHO Joins Global Scientific and Regulatory Agencies in Reaffirming the Safety of Aspartame
Reducing Sugar & Increasing Fiber Key to Latest Dietary Guidelines
Sweet Choices – Questions and Answers about Sweeteners
Low-and No-Calorie Sweeteners Continue to be Safe and Effective Options for Managing ‎Non-Communicable Diseases like Diabetes, Heart Disease and Obesity

Findings from the SWITCH Study 52-Week Active Weight Management Phase

A new study, “Non-Nutritive Sweetened Beverages Versus Water After a 52-week Weight Management Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” set out to compare the effects of non-nutritive sweetened (NNS) beverages and water on body weight. As part of the larger SWITCH study, the current study was published in the Obesity Journal, and reports results following both the 12-week active weight loss and 40-week weight maintenance phases. The results were recently presented at The Obesity Society’s Obesity Week conference. READ MORE.

Managing Sugar Intake Through Low and No-Calorie Sweeteners: Georgetown University Whitepaper

Business for Impact at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business developed this whitepaper to evaluate the role low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) can play in achieving public health recommendations to reduce added sugars in the diet. This new paper increases understanding about the use, purpose, safety and benefits of LNCS in the food supply, demonstrates LNCS are a beneficial tool to help individuals achieve public health recommendations, and will help guide more effective policy decisions, better dietary guidance, and enlightened industry actions to enhance consumer health.

LNCS are commonly used in the food supply to help reduce caloric and sugar ‎intake. This whitepaper sponsored by the Calorie Control Council examines the current state of LNCS usage, the benefits and safety of LNCS consumption, consumer ‎perspectives regarding the utilization and labeling of sugar and LNCS, and projections for how much sugar and ‎calories can be removed from the food supply by increasing the incorporation of LNCS into foods and ‎beverages. Among the key findings of this paper are:

Three-quarters of consumers want ‎to limit or avoid their sugar intake, and LNCS are a viable option to help them achieve this goal.
The preponderance of evidence shows that LNCS can be consumed safely, and the most rigorous studies (randomized control trials) have repeatedly demonstrated their utility in weight management.
The number of food ‎products containing LNCS is currently low; LNCS alone or in combination with added sugars are contained in only 8% and 5%, respectively, of products in the marketplace.‎

According to the current analyses, increasing the incorporation of LNCS within permitted regulatory limits can ‎contribute to the potential reduction of seventy billion grams of added sugar and ‎two hundred twenty-five billion calories in the diet. Government and public health officials are urged to prioritize consumer and media ‎education about the benefits of LNCS in mitigating the obesity crisis.‎

Read the whitepaper

Watch the on-demand panel discussion:

Ask an Expert

Do you have questions about low-calorie sweeteners? Want to learn more about maintaining a healthy lifestyle? You asked and we listened. Our resident Registered Dietitians answered the most popular questions about low-calorie sweeteners.