Energy balance
Substituting low-energy sweeteners (LES) for sugar in beverages and foods reduces total energy intake and body weight in both adults and children compared to sugar-sweetened alternatives.
If you want to reduce your calorie intake and body weight, replacing sugar-sweetened beverages and foods with low-energy sweetened alternatives is an effective strategy. This substitution leads to a measurable reduction in energy intake and body weight compared to consuming sugar, without increasing appetite or causing compensatory overeating.
The preponderance of evidence from all human randomized controlled trials indicates that LES do not increase EI or BW, whether compared with caloric or non-caloric (for example, water) control conditions. Overall, the balance of evidence indicates that use of LES in place of sugar, in children and adults, leads to reduced EI and BW, and possibly also when compared with water.
Why this rating
Based on a systematic review including meta-analyses of multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies.
Source
Does low-energy sweetener consumption affect energy intake and body weight? A systematic review, including meta-analyses, of the evidence from human and animal studies
Peter J. Rogers et al. · International Journal of Obesity · 2015
DOI 10.1038/ijo.2015.177
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