Science-backed low/no calorie sweeteners offer a safe way to enjoy sweetness while cutting sugar. With rising rates of obesity and non-communicable diseases, they can support healthier diets
Low/no calorie sweeteners provide sweet taste with minimal or no calories. They are used in foods and beverages to help reduce their sugar content. Supported by decades of scientific research and safety evaluations, low/no calorie sweeteners can be a practical tool for managing weight, assisting with glycemic control, and supporting oral health as part of a balanced diet.
Low/no calorie sweeteners are among the most thoroughly researched ingredients, with their safety confirmed by global food safety authorities like the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) of FAO/WHO. Extensive studies demonstrate that consumption of approved sweeteners is safe for all population groups.
Sweetness is an integral part of the human diet and our appetite for sweet taste is innate. When health organisations worldwide recommend that free sugars intake should be reduced, managing dietary sweetness, including with the support of low/no calorie sweeteners, is critical from a nutritional and a public health perspective.
Posted : 8 January 2026
Brussels, 8th January 2026: In response to the publication of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030, the International Sweeteners Association (ISA) highlights strong scientific evidence showing that low/no calorie sweeteners (LNCS) can support the important public health goal of sugar reduction. As acknowledged in the Scientific Foundation for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, clinical and […]
Posted : 1 December 2025
Mexico City, 1st December 2025. With the participation of more than 20 international experts from Latin America, Europe, and North America, the 1st Latin American Scientific Forum on Low/No Calorie Sweeteners concluded in Mérida, Yucatán, marking a milestone in advancing scientific dialogue on nutrition, public health, and food policy in the region. Organized by the […]
Posted : 19 November 2025
Brussels, 19 November 2025: The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) responds to the recently published Lancet Series ‘Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health’. There is currently no universally agreed definition of ‘Ultra-Processed Food’ (UPF) and it would be scientifically incorrect to automatically classify food and beverages containing low/no calorie sweeteners as UPFs. Low/no calorie sweeteners are amongst […]
Posted : 9 October 2025
Brussels, 9 October 2025: The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) would like to point to the limitations of the observational study presented at the United European Gastroenterology (UEG) Week 2025 that reported an association between beverages with low/no calorie sweeteners and liver disease. While observational studies can highlight population-level trends, they cannot establish causation. Importantly, individuals […]
Posted : 4 September 2025
Following the publication of the new study, “Not so sweet: Some sugar substitutes linked to faster cognitive decline,” in Neurology on 3 September 2025, the International Sweeteners Association (ISA) urges a careful interpretation of its findings. While the study has garnered media attention, it is essential to place its results within the broader, established scientific consensus on sweeteners safety.
Posted : 15 July 2025
Brussels, 15 July 2025: The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) urges caution when interpreting results of the recent study by Meng et al on aspartame. This is a small mice study with limited statistical power, whose results should be considered preliminary and cannot be directly translated to humans. Aspartame has been the subject of an overwhelming number […]
Highlights: Adults’ sweet taste preferences are remarkably stable. A six-month intervention with low, regular, or high exposure to sweet-tasting foods in the diet did not change how much people liked sweetness or how intensely they perceived it. Dietary sweetness exposure did not influence eating behaviour or health outcomes. No differences were found in calorie intake, […]
An overview of recent position statements on the use of low/no calorie sweeteners from professional nutrition and diabetes associations in Brazil and the UK Highlights: Low/no calorie sweeteners have long been part of the dietary toolbox for people with diabetes, offering the sweetness of sugar without its impact on blood glucose. However, controversy over their […]
Results from the SWEET Randomised Controlled Trial Highlights: A new landmark clinical trial shows that incorporating low/no calorie sweeteners into a healthy, low-sugar diet can help people with overweight or obesity in keeping the lost weight off over one year. The study also found beneficial shifts in gut microbiota composition associated with improved metabolic function, which may […]
Highlights: The burden of cardiovascular disease is rising sharply. Global prevalence has nearly doubled in the past 30 years and is projected to increase by a further 90% by 2050, underscoring the need for healthier dietary patterns, including lower sugar intake. Low/no calorie sweeteners show neutral effects on cardiometabolic risk markers. The latest systematic reviews […]
Highlights: A new review study concludes that low/no calorie sweeteners use is one easily adopted dietary strategy that can help obtain a modest weight loss, improve adherence to the diet, induce sensory-specific-satiety for sweet foodstuff, and facilitate weight loss maintenance. Low/no calorie sweeteners can only modify one single aspect of energy intake: i.e. calories from […]
An interview with Stephen Fleming, PhD, Traverse Science An unhealthy diet high in free sugars is commonly recognised as a risk factor for dental caries which has led to increased interest on the role of low/no calorie sweeteners in oral health. Sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and stevia do not affect our teeth in the […]
Highlights: Adults’ sweet taste preferences are remarkably stable. A six-month intervention with low, regular, or high exposure to sweet-tasting foods in the diet did not change how much people liked sweetness or how intensely they perceived it. Dietary sweetness exposure did not influence eating behaviour or health outcomes. No differences were found in calorie intake, […]
An overview of recent position statements on the use of low/no calorie sweeteners from professional nutrition and diabetes associations in Brazil and the UK Highlights: Low/no calorie sweeteners have long been part of the dietary toolbox for people with diabetes, offering the sweetness of sugar without its impact on blood glucose. However, controversy over their […]
Results from the SWEET Randomised Controlled Trial Highlights: A new landmark clinical trial shows that incorporating low/no calorie sweeteners into a healthy, low-sugar diet can help people with overweight or obesity in keeping the lost weight off over one year. The study also found beneficial shifts in gut microbiota composition associated with improved metabolic function, which may […]
Highlights: The burden of cardiovascular disease is rising sharply. Global prevalence has nearly doubled in the past 30 years and is projected to increase by a further 90% by 2050, underscoring the need for healthier dietary patterns, including lower sugar intake. Low/no calorie sweeteners show neutral effects on cardiometabolic risk markers. The latest systematic reviews […]
Highlights: A new review study concludes that low/no calorie sweeteners use is one easily adopted dietary strategy that can help obtain a modest weight loss, improve adherence to the diet, induce sensory-specific-satiety for sweet foodstuff, and facilitate weight loss maintenance. Low/no calorie sweeteners can only modify one single aspect of energy intake: i.e. calories from […]
An interview with Stephen Fleming, PhD, Traverse Science An unhealthy diet high in free sugars is commonly recognised as a risk factor for dental caries which has led to increased interest on the role of low/no calorie sweeteners in oral health. Sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and stevia do not affect our teeth in the […]
Explore evidence-based information on the safety and benefits of low/no calorie sweeteners.
The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) is an international non-profit organisation with scientific aims representing suppliers and users of low/no calorie sweeteners. The ISA informs and educates on the most up-to-date nutritional and scientific information in relation to the role and benefits of low/no calorie sweeteners, and the foods and beverages that contain them.
