--- title: Don’t Use Artificial Sweeteners for Weight Loss, WHO Says description: The WHO’s advice is based on a review that found products containing aspartame and stevia—like diet soda—don’t help reduce body fat. canonical: https://time.com/6280091/artificial-sweeteners-weight-loss-dont-work/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-05-16T13:28:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-24T15:53:16.182Z article:section: Health og:title: Don’t Use Artificial Sweeteners for Weight Loss, WHO Says og:description: The WHO's advice is based on a review that found products containing aspartame and stevia—like diet soda—don’t help reduce body fat og:url: https://time.com/6280091/artificial-sweeteners-weight-loss-dont-work/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt941b43e03a907f29/698a3ced86f68e85406f26f4/sugar-substitute-packets.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Sugar substitute packets og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Don’t Use Artificial Sweeteners for Weight Loss, WHO Says twitter:description: The WHO's advice is based on a review that found products containing aspartame and stevia—like diet soda—don’t help reduce body fat twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt941b43e03a907f29/698a3ced86f68e85406f26f4/sugar-substitute-packets.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Don’t Use Artificial Sweeteners for Weight Loss, WHO Says by [Emma Court and Thomas Mulier/Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Emma Court and Thomas Mulier/Bloomberg Contributor May 16, 2023 1:28 PM UTC  sugar substitute packets in a glass container on a white, painted wood surface - artificial sweetener - part of a series sugar substitute packets in a glass container on a white, painted wood surface - artificial sweetener - part of a seriesWilliam J Boch—Getty Images by [Emma Court and Thomas Mulier/Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Emma Court and Thomas Mulier/Bloomberg Contributor May 16, 2023 1:28 PM UTC Artificial sweeteners may not help people lose weight, the World Health Organization said in new guidelines that warned against products like diet sodas. The WHO’s advice is based on a scientific review that found products containing aspartame and stevia—often marketed as diet foods—likely [don’t help reduce body fat](https://time.com/the-trouble-with-sugar-free-kids/) in the long term. “People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether,” Francesco Branca, WHO director for nutrition and food safety, said Monday. Artificial sweeteners were also linked with higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as of dying, according to the WHO. The new guidance applies to all [non-sugar sweeteners](https://time.com/6260092/erythritol-heart-attack-stroke-study/), including stevia derivatives and sucralose. Such products have become widely used and are commonly added to processed foods and beverages, like diet soda, or sold on their own. ### ‘Not essential’ Artificial sweeteners “are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value,” Branca said. They are also often used to replace sugar in highly processed foods and drinks, and therefore may encourage low-quality diets. Popular consumer products like Diet Coke and Diet Snapple, rebranded last year to Zero Sugar Snapple, contain aspartame. Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., the maker of Snapple, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The Coca-Cola Co. referred Bloomberg to a statement from the Calorie Control Council that called artificial sweeteners “a critical tool that can help consumers manage body weight and reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases.” The International Sweeteners Association, another industry group, said in a statement that it’s “disappointed that the WHO’s conclusions are largely based on low certainty evidence from observational studies.” Observational studies often don’t have safeguards like comparison groups, which can introduce bias into findings. The new recommendation applies to everyone except those who already have diabetes, the WHO said. The agency issued a draft guideline against sweeteners in July last year, and opened it up to a public consultation. The WHO has previously [advised](https://www.who.int/news/item/04-03-2015-who-calls-on-countries-to-reduce-sugars-intake-among-adults-and-children) adults and kids to limit their sugar intake to 10% of total energy consumption, highlighting the connection between less sugar intake and lower body weight. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6280091/artificial-sweeteners-weight-loss-dont-work/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6280091/artificial-sweeteners-weight-loss-dont-work/"},"headline":"Don’t Use Artificial Sweeteners for Weight Loss, WHO Says","datePublished":"2023-05-16T13:28:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-24T15:53:16.182Z","description":"The WHO’s advice is based on a review that found products containing aspartame and stevia—like diet soda—don’t help reduce body fat.","url":"https://time.com/6280091/artificial-sweeteners-weight-loss-dont-work/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","wire","healthscienceclimate","bloomberg wire"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt941b43e03a907f29/698a3ced86f68e85406f26f4/sugar-substitute-packets.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Emma Court and Thomas Mulier/Bloomberg"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt941b43e03a907f29/698a3ced86f68e85406f26f4/sugar-substitute-packets.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Sugar substitute packets","caption":"Sugar substitute packets","creditText":"William J Boch—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6280091/artificial-sweeteners-weight-loss-dont-work/","name":"Don’t Use Artificial Sweeteners for Weight Loss, WHO Says"}}]}] ```