Kids may be drinking less sugary beverages, but they’re also consuming more artificially sweetened drinks, such as sugar-free juice and diet soda. According to a new federal health study, the number of children who drink diet beverages has increased from 6% to about 12.5% in the last 10 years, and the health implications are yet to be understood.
“We do want children to drink less sugar, but the challenge is that there are no studies that have looked at the long-term health effects of artificial sweeteners in growing children,” said senior researcher Dr. Miriam B. Vos, of Emory University in Atlanta.
Vos points out that while the FDA currently says artificial sweeteners are safe in moderation, animal research has raised some potential concerns, adding that animals fed artificial sweeteners have shown weight gain. Plus, recent research has found that diet-drinkers tend to weight more than those who don’t drink the artificial stuff. Other studies have found that people who drink diet beverages have increased risks of diabetes, heart problems and stroke.
Even more adults than children are guzzling down diet drinks. About 25 percent of Americans surveyed in 2007-2008 said they’d had a diet drink in the past day, versus 19 percent in 1999-2000, the study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Bottom line: The verdict is still out on the health effect of diet beverages and artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, saccharin and sucralose. To be safe, limit your consumption of diet beverages, and stick to water, milk, and other low sugar, natural forms of hydration!
Related:
Artificial Sweeteners and Your Health
Are You Guzzling Down Too Many Calories?
