Artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) are drinks, such as soda, carbonated water and juices, that have been sweetened with nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) instead of (or in addition to) sugar. These NNS include aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium (or acesulfame K). They produce a sweet taste using the same taste receptors as sugar, but are not similar enough to sugar for the body to process as energy.[1] ASB consumption is on the rise globally, with many people choosing to replace sugar-sweetened beverages with ASBs. While controversy exists around the safety of ASB, they are often recommended to people who are trying to lose weight and to diabetics.[2]
References
- ^Ford HE, Peters V, Martin NM, Sleeth ML, Ghatei MA, Frost GS, Bloom SREffects of oral ingestion of sucralose on gut hormone response and appetite in healthy normal-weight subjectsEur J Clin Nutr.(2011 Apr)
- ^Escobar Gil T, Laverde Gil JArtificially Sweetened Beverages Beyond the Metabolic Risks: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Cureus.(2023-Jan)