Health bosses have warned sweeteners may not be the helpful sugar alternative that many believe it to be.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggest non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) may be linked to rising numbers of people who are overweight or obese. They may also be linked to increases in cases of type two diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and tooth decay.
It comes after the WHO's researchers examined data from 283 studies conducted in adults, children, pregnant women or mixed populations.
It said the results suggest the "use of NSS does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children”.
But the authors said in the short term, NSS use may lead to minor weight loss "when their use leads to a reduction in total energy intake".
The WHO also said there could be "undesirable effects" linked to long-term use, such as an increased risk of type two diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and death.
Francesco Branca, the WHO’s director for nutrition and food safety said: "People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health."
As a result of the study, the WHO released a new conditional guideline recommending against the use of NSS to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases. The recommendation applies to everyone except those with pre-existing diabetes.
Dr Ian Johnson, nutrition researcher and emeritus fellow at the Quadram Institute in Norfolk, said: "This new guideline is based on a thorough assessment of the latest scientific literature and it emphasises that the use of artificial sweeteners is not a good strategy for achieving weight loss by reducing dietary energy intake.
"However, this should not be interpreted as an indication that sugar intake has no relevance to weight control."
An International Sweeteners Association spokesperson said: "Low/no calorie sweeteners are one of the most thoroughly researched ingredients in the world and continue to be a helpful tool to manage obesity, diabetes and dental diseases.
"They offer consumers an alternative to reduce sugar and calorie intake with the sweet taste they know and expect.
"There has been an overwhelming amount of scientific literature supporting low/no calorie sweeteners’ utility for weight management, including the WHO-commissioned systematic review itself.
"The International Sweeteners Association believes it is a disservice to not recognise the public health benefits of low/no calorie sweeteners and is disappointed that the WHO’s conclusions are largely based on low certainty evidence from observational studies, which are at high risk of reverse causality"
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