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 .
Sugar-added beverages and adolescent weight change.
OBJECTIVE The increase in consumption of sugar-added beverages over recent decades may be partly responsible for the obesity epidemic among U.S. adolescents . Our aim was to evaluate the relationship between BMI changes and intakes of sugar-added beverages , milk , fruit juices , and diet soda . RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES Our prospect i ve cohort study included > 10,000 boys and girls participating in the U.S. Growing Up Today Study . The participants were 9 to 14 years old in 1996 and completed question naires in 1996 , 1997 , and 1998 . We analyzed change in BMI ( kilograms per meter squared ) over two 1-year periods among children who completed annual food frequency question naires assessing typical past year intakes . We studied beverage intakes during the year corresponding to each BMI change , and in separate models , we studied 1-year changes in beverage intakes , adjusting for prior year intakes . Models included all beverages simultaneously ; further models adjusted for total energy intake . RESULTS Consumption of sugar-added beverages was associated with small BMI gains during the corresponding year ( boys : + 0.03 kg/m2 per daily serving , p = 0.04 ; girls : + 0.02 kg/m2 , p = 0.096 ) . In models not assuming a linear dose-response trend , girls who drank 1 serving/d of sugar-added beverages  gained more weight ( + 0.068 , p = 0.02 ) than girls drinking none , as did girls drinking 2 servings/d ( + 0.09 , p = 0.06 ) or 3 + servings/d ( + 0.08 , p = 0.06 ) . Analyses of year-to-year change in beverage intakes provided generally similar findings ; boys who increased consumption of sugar-added beverages from the prior year experienced weight gain ( + 0.04 kg/m2 per additional daily serving , p = 0.01 ) . Children who increased intakes by 2 or more servings/d from the prior year gained weight ( boys : + 0.14 , p = 0.01 ; girls + 0.10 , p = 0.046 ) . Further adjusting our models for total energy intake substantially reduced the estimated effects , which were no longer significant . DISCUSSION Consumption of sugar-added beverages may contribute to weight gain among adolescents , probably due to their contribution to total energy intake , because adjustment for calories greatly attenuated the estimated associations
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 .