Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Long-term Changes in Weight and BMI: Results from Three Large Cohort Studies.

Background: Whether habitually consuming artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) to replace the intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is associated with long-term weight reduction or maintenance remains unclear. We evaluated the association of increasing ASBs or water intake as replacements for SSBs with changes in weight/body mass index (BMI).

Conclusion: Increases in ASB intake were associated with a modest prevention in weight and BMI gain over time. Replacing SSBs with ASBs or water was sociated with decreases in weight/BMI changes, which followed a dose-dependent pattern. However, water appeared to be the best substitution alternative for both SSBs and ASBs.

Speaker: Alan Espinosa (phD candidate, Nutritional Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Harvard University).

Sponsors: RCCHU; Harvard University.