Data from large , epidemiologic studies support the existence of an association between  artificially-sweetened beverage  consumption and weight gain in children .
Epidemiological data have demonstrated an association between artificial sweetener use and  weight gain .
Evidence of a causal relationship linking artificial sweetener use to weight gain and other metabolic health effects is limited .
However , recent animal studies provide intriguing information that supports an active metabolic role of artificial sweeteners .
This systematic review examines the current literature on  artificial sweetener consumption in children and its health effects .
Dietary Patterns, Insulin Resistance, and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in the Whitehall II Study
OBJECTIVE —The aim of this study was to identify a dietary pattern associated with insulin resistance and investigate whether this pattern was prospect ively associated with type 2 diabetes . RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS — Analysis was based on 7,339 participants of the Whitehall II study .  Dietary intake  was measured using a 127-item food frequency question naire . We used the reduced rank regression method to determine dietary patterns using the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance as the intermediate or response variable . The association between the dietary pattern identified and incidence of type 2 diabetes was investigated using Cox proportional hazard regression models . RESULTS —We identified a dietary pattern characterized by high consumption of low-calorie/diet soft drinks , onions , sugar-sweetened beverages , burgers and sausages , crisps and other snacks , and white bread and low consumption of medium-/high-fiber breakfast cereals , jam , French dressing/vinaigrette , and wholemeal bread . Higher dietary pattern scores were associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes ( hazard ratio for top quartile 2.95 [ 95 % CI 2.19–3.97 ] ; adjusted for age , sex , and energy misreporting ) . This relationship was attenuated after adjustment for ethnicity , employment grade , health behaviors ( smoking , alcohol use , and physical activity ) but remained significant after further adjustment for blood pressure and BMI ( 1.51 [ 1.10–2.09 ] ) . CONCLUSIONS —A dietary pattern associated with insulin resistance predicts type 2 diabetes risk after adjustment for a range of confounders . This study adds to the evidence that dietary patterns are an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes
Data from large , epidemiologic studies support the existence of an association between  artificially-sweetened beverage  consumption and weight gain in children .
Epidemiological data have demonstrated an association between artificial sweetener use and  weight gain .
Evidence of a causal relationship linking artificial sweetener use to weight gain and other metabolic health effects is limited .
However , recent animal studies provide intriguing information that supports an active metabolic role of artificial sweeteners .
This systematic review examines the current literature on  artificial sweetener consumption in children and its health effects .