Why scientists still can't seem to agree if artificial sweeteners are better for you than sugar

Although artificial sweeteners have been linked to a long list of serious health concerns, the UK’s Food Standards Agency said that they are safe.

17:55 19 September 2014

A recent study has found that consuming artificial sweeteners could increase the risk of diabetes. Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel added that they disrupt healthy microbes living in the gut which causes a rise in blood pressure.

Lead researcher Dr Eran Elinav said: "Our findings beg reconsideration of the massive, unregulated use of these substances.” 

However, Stephen O’Rahilly, director of the Metabolic Diseases Unit at Cambridge University, does not agree with the findings. He said: “This new report must be viewed very cautiously as it mostly reports findings in mice."

Scientists are still unable to agree if sweeteners are healthier alternative to sugar or whether or not they contain dangerous chemicals. This is despite the fact that over a quarter of UK households buy food and drinks containing them.

Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sorbitol are used in diet drink and food in the UK. On the other hand, an animal study at Harvard University revealed that saccharin, a popular sweetener in the US, is actually ‘more addictive than cocaine’.