B4343 - Consumption of Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Glycaemic Biomarkers - 05/06/2023
The World Health Organization has issued recommendations against the use of non-sugar sweeteners as means to reduce free sugars intake and weight control. However, artificially sweetened beverages are a major source of non-sugar sweeteners and are widely available and commonly consumed by children. While current evidence base provides no support for the link between dietary intake of artificial sweeteners and any long-term improvement in weight or adiposity control, the understanding of the link between artificial sweeteners and glycaemic biomarkers (e.g. glucose, insulin, haemoglobin A1c) in children remains scarce. Therefore, this project aims to investigate the longitudinal association between consumption of artificially sweetened beverages during childhood and levels of glycaemic biomarkers between 9-24 years of age in the ALSPAC birth cohort. The findings of this research could provide valuable insights into dietary recommendations for children and potentially contribute to the ongoing discourse on the health effects of artificially sweetened beverages.