Artificial sweeteners (sugar substitutes or non-nutritive sweeteners) are in so many food products these days, and children may be exposed to them in a variety of processed foods. Are they useful by limiting sugar consumption? Do they result in weight loss? Are there any health risks to using artificial sweeteners? You might be surprised at the answers to these questions and more discussed in this episode. Take a listen to find out how artificial sweeteners may affect taste preferences and weight gain.
This episode written by Dr. Dean Blumberg and Dr. Lena van der List.
We thank Senior Outpatient Dietitian Staci Collins, RD, CNSC, Clinical Nutrition Services at UC Davis Children's Hospital for reviewing this episode, although Drs. Dean and Lena take responsibility for any errors or misinformation.
Supplemental material:

* Healthy Children Sweeteners and Sugar Substitutes: Parent FAQs

* Harvard Health Blog Artificial Sweeteners: Sugar-Free, But at What Cost?

* Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics EatRight

* US Food & Drug Administration Additional Information about High-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for Use in Food in the United States

* American Academy of Pediatrics policy The Use of Nonnutritive Sweeteners in Children

Photo from The Whole Journey