With the rise in the global burden of diabetes and obesity, the consumption of artificial sweeteners has also increased worldwide. This article discusses the benefits, side-effects, and recommendations for the use of artificial sweeteners and also highlights the need for further research on the subject to prevent long-term side-effects. Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) or artificial sweeteners are defined as substances that have more sweetness per gram compared to conventional sweeteners like sucrose, fruit juice concentrates or corn syrups. Beverages remain the most commonly consumed artificially sweetened products.
Though the consumption is higher in adults than in children, yet, alarmingly, the consumption per unit body weight in children is higher. Nearly 4-18% of the soft drinks that are consumed by children are artificially sweetened. Intake of NNS containing beverages has also…
