Calorie Control Council | Low-Calorie Sweetener Benefits Q & A

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF LOW-CALORIE SWEETENERS AND THE FOODS AND BEVERAGES THEY ARE USED IN?

Low-calorie foods and beverages provide a variety of benefits to consumers. Many people consume low-calorie foods and beverages simply because they enjoy the taste and don't want extra, unnecessary calories. People use these products for many reasons in addition to dieting. In fact, a 2004 consumer survey showed that 63 percent of low-calorie product consumers are not on a diet. Research shows that these products have become synonymous with an overall healthy lifestyle, for millions of people. Staying in better overall health is rated as the number one reason for using low-calorie foods and beverages.

In addition to satisfying a desire for good-tasting foods and beverages without the calories, staying in better overall health and helping to reduce or maintain weight, other benefits that consumers derive from low-calorie products include: reduction of dental cavities, management of diabetes, and reduction in the risks associated with obesity.

DO LOW-CALORIE SWEETENERS HELP PEOPLE LOSE WEIGHT?

Definitely. For consumers who want good-tasting foods and beverages but do not want the calories, low-calorie sweeteners provide a means to control caloric intake. Using low-calorie foods and beverages instead of higher-calorie products can assist weight loss by reducing caloric intake. To lose weight, however, the serious dieter must have the willpower to resist consuming the calories that have already been saved, either during the same meal or the same day.

Health professionals agree that the key to losing weight is to burn more calories than are consumed, either by increasing physical activity or consuming fewer calories -- or preferably, both. As part of a sensible weight-control program (incorporating both moderate caloric reduction and increased exercise), low-calorie sweeteners can help consumers reduce their caloric intake and therefore help them lose weight.

DO LOW-CALORIE SWEETENERS HELP PEOPLE MAINTAIN THEIR WEIGHT?

Yes. For consumers who want good-tasting foods and beverages but do not want the calories, low-calorie sweeteners offer a means to control caloric intake. Low-calorie sweeteners provide consumers a freedom of choice when juggling calories, allowing them to substitute low-calorie versions for higher-calorie foods and beverages. Those who want to maintain a certain weight do not have to sacrifice all high-calorie products. They can maintain their weight by saving calories which may or may not be "spent" later in the same meal or the same day -- as long as the calories are not "over-spent." The increased availability of good-tasting, low-calorie foods and beverages has made "calorie juggling" a popular method for maintaining weight.

IS THERE ANY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH THAT SHOWS LOW-CALORIE SWEETENERS HELP PEOPLE CONTROL CALORIES?

Yes. There are several human studies which show that low-calorie sweeteners, and the foods and beverages they are used in, are effective in controlling caloric intake. One study, published in Physiology & Behavior, found that caloric intake was reduced by 15 percent in human subjects by covertly substituting foods sweetened with aspartame for sugar-sweetened foods. In addition to clinical evidence, opinion research has revealed that more than 90 percent of U.S. health professionals judge a low-calorie sweetener to be of benefit for weight control.

DO LOW-CALORIE SWEETENERS CAUSE PEOPLE TO EAT MORE OR GAIN WEIGHT?

No. Though low-calorie foods and beverages can play a key role in successful weight loss, they cannot be held responsible for weight-loss failure. The ultimate success of any weight-loss program depends on the individual -- not any particular product.

Successful weight reduction — losing weight and keeping it off — involves many factors, such as eating habits (including a balanced diet, eaten in moderation), exercise and long-term commitment. Allegations that one component of a person's diet, in this case low-calorie sweeteners, is responsible for weight-loss failure cannot be supported, especially when other dietary and lifestyle factors are not controlled.

Claims by some that low-calorie sweeteners may cause people to gain weight are essentially speculation and are not well founded scientifically. If a sensible weight-control program is followed (incorporating moderate caloric reduction and increased exercise), low-calorie sweeteners and low-calorie foods and beverages can play a very important role in reducing caloric intake and therefore reducing weight.

IS THERE RESEARCH WHICH INDICATES LOW-CALORIE SWEETENERS CAUSE PEOPLE TO GAIN WEIGHT?

Scientific evidence points to the opposite conclusion. For example, a study by Dr. George Blackburn et al. at The Harvard Medical School, found that aspartame facilitates weight loss and does not increase appetite. Dr. Blackburn has noted that his 12-week clinical study "indicates that aspartame is a valuable adjunct to a comprehensive program of balanced diet, exercise and behavior modifications for losing weight."

Dr. Barbara Rolls, professor of nutrition at Pennsylvania State University, recently published a review of 45 studies examining the effects of low-calorie sweeteners on hunger, appetite and food intake which provides the most compelling evidence to date that low-calorie sweeteners are helpful in controlling weight. She concluded, "If the individual uses the consumption of a low-calorie food as an excuse to eat a high-calorie food, or if the individual is not actively trying to restrict intake, daily energy intake may remain unchanged. However, if intense sweeteners are part of a weight-control program, they could aid calorie control by providing palatable foods with reduced energy. It needs to be stressed that there are no data suggesting that consumption of foods and drinks with intense sweeteners promotes food intake and weight gain in dieters."

Speculation that low-calorie sweeteners make people eat more or gain weight is based on hypotheses of a few researchers which have been generally contradicted by laboratory and clinical studies. The existing clinical evidence contradicts the claim by some critics that low-calorie sweeteners cause people to overcompensate for the calories saved in a given meal by eating more in a later meal. No clinical studies exist which show that low-calorie sweetener use results in increased caloric intake or leads to weight gain. Additionally, much of the speculation is based on rat studies. Use of the rat is an especially tenuous basis for generalization since some low-calorie sweeteners apparently do not even taste sweet to rats.

Permission to reprint information in whole or in part contained on this site is granted, provided customary credit is given.