Low‐Calorie Sweeteners and Health

Objective To summarize existing evidence on Low‐Calorie Sweeteners (LCSs) and selected health outcomes using evidence mapping, a new method that systematically characterizes the range of research activity into broad topic areas. Methods A comprehensive search strategy on Ovid Medline (through July 2014) was employed to identify peer‐reviewed, published, interventional and prospective cohort studies of LCSs and the following outcome areas: body weight or composition, hunger or satiety mechanisms, altered energy sensing by the brain, and gut hormone responses. Descriptive analyses were performed. Results The literature search yielded 12,899 citations, which were screened based on pre‐defined study eligibility criteria. Information on Populations, Interventions or Exposures, Comparators, and Outcomes (PIECO) was extracted from a total of 109 eligible studies. Of the included studies, 85% were conducted in adults. The most commonly used LCS interventions were aspartame (40%), saccharin (17%) and sucralose (9%). The most commonly studied health outcome was body weight. The outcome measures for hunger or satiety mechanisms were heterogeneous. Conclusions Some commonly used LCSs, such as polyols, sucralose, and steviol glycosides, are understudied. By systematically identifying existing interventions and research gaps in the current literature, evidence mapping proved to be a useful method to inform researchers, funders, and policy makers of important topics for future research. Funding source: International Life Science Institute North American Branch