“The new guidelines of the World Health Organization on sweeteners, based on the systematic review of the scientific literature on the subject of their safety, are acceptable”, according to Andrea Natali, professor of Applied Dietetic Sciences and Techniques and elected coordinator of the Society’s scientific committee of Diabetes (Sid). The WHO recommendations “take into account – highlights Sid – the conclusions published at the time: in the adult population, both those who habitually use sweeteners to replace sugar and those who consume drinks with sweeteners have a higher risk, respectively +34% and + 23%, of developing type 2 diabetes over time; those who habitually consume sweeteners, compared to those who do not consume them, have a greater risk, from 20% to 30%, of developing cardiovascular disease; during pregnancy, the consumption of sweeteners associated with a greater risk of preterm birth, equal to +25%”. Data that Natali analyzes in a note.
“The very small effect on weight reduction associated with the use of sweeteners – observes the specialist – is explained by the modest reduction in calories that involves exchanging sugar for sweeteners, since in most cases the consumption of simple sugars is quantitatively modest.As regards the onset of diabetes – continues Natali – it is extremely unlikely that sweeteners have a direct causal effect on the diseases; it is more likely that those who consume sweeteners have a lower nutritional education, have or have had a metabolic profile partially altered, has a family history of diabetes or, simply, feels justified to eat more. It’s a bit like someone who says ‘in the morning I have breakfast with a croissant, but I take it whole and not filled and then I don’t put sugar in the coffee The study did not examine the impact of sweeteners on glycemic control, but we know from the ADA guidelines on medical nutrition therapy that their effect is controversial.”
“As far as cardiovascular diseases are concerned – continues the diabetologist – this is the most difficult data to explain, since sweeteners have no impact on the major traditional risk factors, such as blood pressure and lipids. There are still few studies in this regard, results were heterogeneous, and adjustments for confounding factors were often incomplete.Finally, the data on preterm birth, even if not robust, justify the cessation of the consumption of sweeteners in pregnancy”.
This and other topics will be discussed in the multidisciplinary forum ‘Panorama diabetes – Forecasting for prevention’, promoted by the Sid from 21 to 24 May at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Riccione, and in particular in the session ‘How much health can be gained at the table’, moderated by Natali himself and by Gabriele Riccardi of the University of Naples.
The appointment is in the ‘Polissena B’ room for 11 on 23 May, with speeches by Andrea Poli on ‘False myths and the paradigm shift: food from threat becomes resource’, Fabio Galvano on ‘Many years of life are lost due to a few dietary errors: the lesson of the Gbd”, and Mario Barbagallo on ‘Is it true that one does not age at the table?’.
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