Diet sodas are not actually good for your diet, WHO guidance suggests

Enlarge / Packets of Equal and Splenda in a coffee bar in New York in 2016. (credit: Getty | Richard Levine)

People trying to shed pounds often cut calories by consuming diet drinks, artificially sweetened treats, and other products containing substitute sugars. But according to a new assessment from the World Health Organization, those artificial sweeteners don’t appear effective for weight control—and worse, they seem to increase long-term risks of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even death.

In a guidance released Monday, WHO recommended against using artificial sweeteners for weight control or attempting to boost health generally. The recommendation applies to healthy children and adults but is not intended for people with pre-existing diabetes, who may still find benefits from using artificial sweeteners.

“Replacing free sugars with NSS [non-sugar sweeteners] does not help with weight control in the long term. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages,” Francesco Branca, WHO director for Nutrition and Food Safety, said in a statement.  “People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health,” he added.