Science supports zero-calorie sweeteners for weight loss: Consultant
In an interview with FoodNavigator, Dr Margaret Ashwell OBE, from Ashwell Associates Ltd, a consultancy based in the UK, talked about her meta-analysis of the science of aspartame and weight management, published in 2006 in Nutrition Bulletin. The review remains up-to-date, said Dr Ashwell, since no new studies have been published that would add to what was considered for the 2006 paper.
Dr Ashwell - who will present at the upcoming International Sweeteners Association’s meeting in Brussels - also talked about a 2009 review by Barry Popkin and Richard Mattes in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Mattes and Popkin concluded that substituting energy-yielding sweeteners for non-nutritive sweeteners can aid weight management, but they questioned whether sweeteners are normally consumed in this way.
"That paper is often quoted as not agreeing with us," said Dr Ashwell, "[...] but they found no evidence that use of intense sweeteners can increase what you eat."
For more information about the International Sweeteners Association's up-coming conference, please click here.
