Application

There is a notable increase in sugar consumption across the world. Much of it is due to the widespread consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, which is contributing to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and stroke ( Cheungpasitporn et al., 2015 ). An obvious way to reduce those risks is to reduce sugar intake. For many people, reducing sugar intake includes replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with their artificially sweetened counterparts, the so-called diet drinks ( Bleich et al., 2014 ). However, there is evidence that consuming artificially sweetened beverages may lead to the same adverse health outcomes that come with consuming excessive amounts of natural sugar. For example, several studies have found that consuming artificially sweetened beverages was related to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes ( Imamura et al., 2015 ). In addition, animal studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can potentiate weight gain when combined with a high-fat and sugar diet ( Feijó et al., 2013 ). It has also been found that artificial sweeteners may also interfere with regulating glucose levels ( Swithers et al., 2012 ).