Low- and no-calorie sweeteners and health: Current evidence and path forward
Date: Thursday, April 10, 2025
Time: 12:00 - 13:00 ET (12:00pm - 1:00pm ET)
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Speakers: Allison Sylvetsky, PhD (George Washington University), Tauseef Khan, PhD (University of Toronto), David Mela, PhD (Independent Nutrition Scientist)
Webinar description: Although low/no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) are considered safe to consume from a toxicological perspective, their use of remains controversial. The WHO’s precautionary stance against the use of LNCS for weight management and prevention of noncommunicable diseases in the general population called attention to discrepancies in the findings of observational studies compared with randomized trials and challenges in making evidence-informed guidelines. This symposium will explore the current state of science on LNCS, including the limitations of existing research that fuel ongoing debates and advanced methodologies that can better disentangle the conflicting evidence. This symposium will also highlight ongoing studies on consumption, perceptions, and health impact of LNCS and discuss the role of the media and both financial and non-financial conflicts of interest in the polarized LNCS field. The session aims to identify evidence gaps, provide a robust research framework, and highlight areas for future research.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the role of low/no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) on health by exploring emerging scientific evidence related to their effects on weight management and chronic diseases in both adults and children.
- Critically assess the discrepancies between observational studies and randomized controlled trials regarding LNCS and health including methodological limitations such as reverse causation and strategies to address them using bias-adjusted methods.
- Assess and mitigate risks from commercial and academic conflicts or bias in LNCS research, and practices that may distort study design, analysis, and reporting, in order to achieve a more informed and balanced scientific discourse.
Moderator: Jennifer Lee, PhD, RD (Toronto Metropolitan University)
About the Speakers:
Allison Sylvetsky, PhD - Dr. Sylvetsky is an Associate Professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health in Washington D.C. and Vice Chair of the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences. Her research focuses broadly on obesity and diabetes in youth and her primary interests include studying the consumption and health effects of sugar-sweetened beverages and non-nutritive sweeteners, with a key focus on their consumption during childhood. Dr. Sylvetsky is the Principal Investigator of several externally funded research projects investigating the consumption and health effects of non-nutritive sweeteners, and she has recent or ongoing research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, and Healthy Eating Research.
Tauseef Ahmad Khan, MBBS, PhD - Dr. Tauseef Khan, Senior Research Associate in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto, specializes in examining the relationships between dietary sweeteners and the risks of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. His research spans a wide spectrum, including sugar-containing foods, low-calorie sweeteners, and natural sweeteners such as honey. Employing advanced and robust methodologies, Dr. Khan has conducted systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized trials and prospective cohort studies on low-calorie sweeteners, contributing significantly to the formulation of recent EASD guidelines.
David Mela, PhD - David Mela followed his PhD in nutrition with an academic and industry research career focused mainly on eating behaviour, energy balance and metabolic health. Since retiring in 2019 from his role as a senior scientist in Unilever, he’s remained active as an advisor to various commercial, academic and public health organisations, and a member of the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition since 2005. He has published >100 papers, including several reviews, analyses and commentaries related to sugars and sweeteners. See https://djmela.eu
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