In healthy subjects , appetite and short term food intake , risk of cancer , risk of diabetes , risk of dental caries , weight gain and risk of obesity are the most investigated health outcomes .
Overall there is no conclusive evidence for beneficial and harmful effects on those outcomes .
In subjects with diabetes and hypertension , the evidence regarding health outcomes of NNS use is also inconsistent .
Background Food products containing non-nutritive sweeteners ( NNSs ) instead of sugar have become increasingly popular in the last decades .
Their appeal is obviously related to their calorie-free sweet taste .
However , with the dramatic increase in their consumption , it is reasonable and timely to evaluate their potential health benefits and , more importantly , potential adverse effects .
The main aim of this scoping review was to map the evidence about health outcomes possibly associated with regular NNS consumption by examining the extent , range , and nature of research activity in this area .
An evaluation of the effect of aspartame on weight loss
This study explores whether the addition of aspartame-sweetened foods and beverages to a low fat , hypocaloric diet enhances compliance and result ing weight loss .  Fifty-nine obese ( 130 - 225 % of ideal body weight ) , free living men and women were r and omly assigned to either a Balanced Deficit Diet ( BDD ) or a BDD supplemented with aspartame . Over a 12-week weight loss period , volunteers attended weekly support group meetings including behavior modification training and exercise instruction . Males achieved a clinical ly significant weight loss ( greater than 23 lb ) in both study groups , while females lost an average of 12.8 lb in the control group vs. 16.5 lb in the experimental group . In both treatment groups , sleep , general energy level , level of physical activity , and feeling of well-being showed clinical ly meaningful improvement . This study suggests possible advantages to supplementing a BDD with aspartame-sweetened foods as part of a multidisciplinary weight loss program . The small sample size prohibits definitive conclusions but does provide the protocol for a larger , outpatient clinical trial
In healthy subjects , appetite and short term food intake , risk of cancer , risk of diabetes , risk of dental caries , weight gain and risk of obesity are the most investigated health outcomes .
Overall there is no conclusive evidence for beneficial and harmful effects on those outcomes .
In subjects with diabetes and hypertension , the evidence regarding health outcomes of NNS use is also inconsistent .
Background Food products containing non-nutritive sweeteners ( NNSs ) instead of sugar have become increasingly popular in the last decades .
Their appeal is obviously related to their calorie-free sweet taste .
However , with the dramatic increase in their consumption , it is reasonable and timely to evaluate their potential health benefits and , more importantly , potential adverse effects .
The main aim of this scoping review was to map the evidence about health outcomes possibly associated with regular NNS consumption by examining the extent , range , and nature of research activity in this area .