French agency backs artificial sweeteners for pregnant women
The French Agency for Food Security (Anses) reports that any suggested links between sweeteners – such as aspartame and acesulfame K – and preterm delivery have not been established. However the agency noted that research is ongoing.
The progress report focuses on the safety of sweeteners for pregnant women, as part of its overall assessment of the risks and nutritional benefits of artificial sweeteners.
Such sweeteners have been previously been linked to preterm delivery in women and the appearance of cancers in mice by some research.
However Anses experts reviewed the studies and concluded that "the available data do not suggest an adverse effect of intense sweeteners during pregnancy, whether on health mother, obstetric parameters, or the health of the newborn. "
![In March 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) published revised guidelines on sugar intake [8], calling on national governments to institute policies to reduce sugar intake to less than 10% of total energy. ©iStock/lowkick](/var/wrbm_gb_food_pharma/storage/images/_aliases/wrbm_medium/1/1/1/4/1984111-1-eng-GB/Sugar-free-drinks-no-better-for-weight-control-argue-researchers.jpg)
