Artificial sweeteners produce the counterintuitive effect of inducing metabolic derangements

• Similar to sugar-sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened (diet) beverages (ASB) are linked to obesity.
• ASB may increase the risk for diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease.
• ASB may increase the risk for negative outcomes by interfering with learning.
• Reductions in sweetener use, including low-calorie sweeteners, may be warranted.

The negative impact of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages on weight and other health outcomes has been increasingly recognized; therefore, many people have turned to high-intensity sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin as a way to reduce the risk of these consequences. However, accumulating evidence suggests that frequent consumers of these sugar substitutes may also be at increased risk of excessive weight gain, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. This paper discusses these findings and considers the hypothesis that consuming sweet-tasting but noncaloric or reduced-calorie food and beverages interferes with learned responses that normally contribute to glucose and energy homeostasis. Because of this interference, frequent consumption of high-intensity sweeteners may have the counterintuitive effect of inducing metabolic derangements.