In a new study, researchers found that artificial sweeteners do not affect blood sugar levels.
They found that food additives are not linked to the development of diabetes.
The research was conducted by a team from the University of Washington.
Artificial sweeteners have been marketed as healthier alternatives to sugar for many years.
Compare with real sugar, they contain much fewer or zero calories.
However, whether the consumption of artificial sweeteners contributes to the development of diabetes has been unclear.
In the new study, the team examined 1359 healthy people from the Strong Heart Family Study. These people had no heart disease or diabetes in the 2007–2009 study test.
They reported their diet soda and artificial sweeteners consumption.
The team also examined the people’s blood sugar levels and insulin function. All of the participants were tracked until 2017.
The researchers found that about 40% of participants consumed diet soda or artificial sweeteners regularly.
During the 8 years of follow-up, 98 people developed type 2 diabetes.
There were no strong associations between reported diet soda and artificial consumption and fasting insulin, fasting blood sugar, or diabetes risk.
The team says that although reported consumption of diet soda and artificial were high, neither were linked to diabetes risk.
The study finding gives people a green light for artificial sweeteners as far as blood sugar is concerned.
But people with diabetes still need to control their food consumption to avoid obesity. Previous research has shown that diet food may increase the risk of being overweight or obesity.
The lead author of the study is Paul N. Jensen from the Department of Medicine, University of Washington.
The study is published in European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
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