A new study led by researchers from the Universities of Liverpool and Copenhagen has been initiated to identify the risks and benefits of sugar substitutes in the per diem expenses. The research center in Nutrition of the University of Navarra belonging to the network CIBERObn will contribute as a member of the consortium in a two-year randomized controlled clinical essay . It will also lead a coordinated clinical and a multicenter essay on the short and medium deadline effects of sweeteners on dietary intake, physiology and health.

SWEET, a project funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 program, is supported by a pan-European consortium of 29 industry, academic and consumer partners who will develop and review the evidence on long-term benefits deadline and potential risks involved in the transition to sweeteners and sweetness enhancers in the context of public health, safety, obesity and sustainability.

This 5-year project multidisciplinary will involve stakeholders from the food chain - consumers, patients, health professionals, scientists, policy makers and regulatory agencies - to address the role of sweeteners in weight management and potentially bring viable products to market. Stakeholders including consumers, patients, health professionals, scientists, legislators and regulatory agencies will take part in the project.

As part of the 5-year project multidisciplinary a 2-year randomized controlled clinical trialessay will be conducted involving the recruitment of 660 overweight or obese adults and children from 4 European countries (Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands and Spain).

The participants of the clinical essay will follow a 2-month weight loss per diem expenses . During this period they will be randomly assigned to one of 2 types of treatment. Both groups will receive nutritionalcommittee on existing recommendations to reduce consumption of added sugars by 10%. However, one group will be allowed to consume food and drink with sweeteners, while the other will not.

Jo Harrold, project coordinator of the University of Liverpool's department psychological sciences, comments, "Obesity has emerged as a major health problem across Europe and around the world."

"A research of the effects of sugar substitutes on appetite and food choice on this scale has never been conducted. Our study will adopt a approach multidisciplinary to examine the impact of prolonged sugar substitution on weight control, appetite and energy intake." "Understanding the effectiveness of artificial sweeteners will help us to optimize their application in the future with regard to weight control."

• More information about the SWEET studio