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Overeating of Low-Energy (Low-Calorie) Foods Among Children is Scientific Speculation

ATLANTA (August 9, 2007) — A recent study reported in the journal Obesity (“Overeating by Young Obesity-prone and Lean Rats Caused by Tastes Associated With Low Energy Foods”) needs to be considered in the proper scientific context, especially in relation to other previously published research that has reached the opposite conclusion.  The study alleges that consumption of low-calorie foods and beverages by children may lead to increased episodes of overeating.  However, the vast body of scientific literature confirms the safety and benefits of using low-calorie sweeteners and low-calorie products for weight control and weight loss, and does not support the conclusions of the University of Alberta research.  The Council provides the following list of relevant information on childhood obesity and the efficacy and safety of low-calorie sweeteners:

  • With thirty-two percent of U.S. children age 6-19 overweight or at risk of being overweight, taking steps to assure appropriate caloric intake is important. Because products with low-calorie sweeteners (such as yogurt, with the same nutritional value and less than half the calories of a full-calorie yogurt) are lower in calories than their full-calorie counterparts, using products with low-calorie sweeteners together with regular physical activity can help with weight management.
  • Low-calorie sweeteners are not magic bullets and do not make people lose weight.  They are, however, tools that those trying to lose or maintain weight may incorporate as part of an overall healthy lifestyle that includes exercise and a balanced diet.
  • A recent study, presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, found that eliminating 100 calories per day from the diet by using products such as sucralose and adding 2,000 steps a day may help children lose or maintain weight.  Researchers examined more than 200 families, all of which had at least one overweight child between the ages 7 to 14 years.  After six months, two out of three of the children following the program lost or maintained weight, while half of the children in the control group increased their body mass index (BMI).
  • The unpublished study conducted by Sharon Fowler et. al. (referenced in the University of Alberta study) is not proof that drinking diet soft drinks causes people to gain weight. The Fowler study is an epidemiological study, which cannot show a direct cause and effect.  Fowler et al. themselves noted that this study raises more questions than answers.  In addition, previous studies have shown that the use of low-calorie products not only aids in facilitating weight loss, but also weight control.
  • The study conducted by Davidson and Swithers referenced in the article is not consistent with the majority of scientific research on this topic.  This study involved a small sample size of 10 rats per group.  Rats especially like the taste of saccharin and it is often used as a reward in rat studies.  Therefore it is not surprising that the rats ate more when fed saccharin sweetened food.
  • According to a recent national survey conducted for the Calorie Control Council, the top reasons for using light products include: staying in better overall health, to reduce calories and to eat or drink healthier foods and beverages.  In addition, 87 percent of adults who use low-calorie, sugar-free foods and beverages say they eat less than or about the same when compared with the full-calorie version (they do not eat more).
  • Previous research has shown that consuming low-calorie foods and beverages not only aids in facilitating weight loss, but also weight control.  Experts agree that achieving and maintaining a healthy weight can help reduce the risk of heart diabetes, diabetes, and other risks associated with obesity.
  • Specifically, the study published in Obesity is contradicted by these other recent studies (references follow):
    • A 2007 study by Bellisle and Drewnowski, published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, evaluated a variety of laboratory, clinical and epidemiological studies regarding low-calorie sweeteners, energy density and satiety.  Dr. Adam Drewnowski, Director, Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington and co-author of the study, noted, “This review of a variety of studies indicates that low-calorie sweeteners and the products that contain them may assist in weight loss efforts.”
    • Blackburn and his Harvard colleagues investigated whether the addition of aspartame to a multidisciplinary weight control program would improve weight loss and long-term control of body weight in obese women.  One hundred sixty-eight obese women aged 20 to 60 years were studied over a two-year period.  The researchers found that participation in this multidisciplinary weight control program including the use of aspartame-sweetened foods and beverages not only facilitated weight loss, but long-term maintenance of a reduced body weight.
    • Raben and colleagues found that using low-calorie sweeteners aided in the prevention of weight gain. Participants (a total of 41) followed a regular diet supplemented with food and drinks containing either sucrose or low-calorie sweeteners for two and a half months. The researchers found that participants consuming the sucrose sweetened foods and beverages had an increase in caloric energy, while those consuming the low-calorie sweetened foods and beverages showed a statistically significant decrease.  Additionally, those in the sucrose group experienced an increase in weight while the low-calorie sweetener group experienced a decrease in weight.
    • Ludwig and colleagues enrolled 548 ethnically diverse children (ages 7-11 years) and studied them prospectively for 19 months.  They found that diet soft drink consumption was not related to obesity incidence.
    • A 2006 study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies’ Meeting found that using sucralose or sucralose-sweetened beverages as well as increasing activity helped maintain and lower body mass index for children participating in the Families on the Move Program.
    • A study published in the Journal of Food Science found that people who use reduced-calorie products not only had a better quality diet but also were more likely to consume fewer calories than those who did not use reduced-calorie products.
Resources
American Dietetic Association (2004).  Position of the American Dietetic Association:  Use of Nutritive and Nonnutritive Sweeteners. Journal of the American Dietetic Association.  104(2), 255-275.
Bellisle, F. and Drewnowski, A. (2007).  Intense sweeteners, energy intake and the control of body weight.  European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 61, 691-700.
Blackburn, G. L., et al. The effect of aspartame as part of a multidisciplinary weight-control program on short- and long-term control of body weight. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1997. Vol. 65. 409-418.
Ludwig, D. S. et el. Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. 2001. Vol. 357. 505-508.
Raben, A., et. al. Sucrose Compared with Artificial Sweeteners: Different Effects on Ad Libitum
Food Intake and Body Weight After 10 Weeks of Supplementation in Overweight Subjects.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. October 2002. Vol. 76. No. 4. 721-729.
Sigman-Grant, M., and Hsieh, G. (2005) Reported use of reduced sugars foods and beverages reflect high quality diets. Journal of Food Science.  70(1), S42-S46.
faq2Do 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.

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