Do not give pre-school children drinks with artificial sweeteners, parents told

Parents have been told not to give pre-school children drinks laden with artificial sweeteners by experts advising the Government.

Younger children – typically those under the age of five – are already advised not to consume sugary drinks.

Experts advising ministers have now said they should not be given “drinks sweetened with sugar or NSS (non-sugar sweeteners)”.

Academics said limiting intake of sweetened drinks in early childhood means children become accustomed to drinking unsweetened drinks.

For older children, sweeteners “may help reduce sugar intake”, experts said.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) also said that younger children should be given “unsweetened food (not sweetened with either sugar or NSS)”.

Low or no-calorie sweeteners are used instead of sugar to sweeten some foods and drinks.

These substances are found in products such as drinks, desserts and ready meals and cakes.

Scientific evidence has linked sugar consumption to a range of health conditions including obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Because they are calorie-less, some have argued they can help to prevent obesity.

But global health leaders from the World Health Organisation said in 2023 that people should avoid NSS as a tool for weight control.

The latest SACN update is in response to this report.

Experts on the committee said some of the evidence assessed by the WHO about sweeteners and weight loss should be “treated with caution”.

The committee agreed with the WHO that a reduction in free sugars, alongside “other positive changes to diet”, is likely to be beneficial to health overall.

It added: “There may be some value in using sweeteners to help reduce weight gain in the short to medium term but it is not essential and is not the only option.”

The committee said it was “concerned about the gap in data on UK population exposure to sweeteners”.

And it said there was “currently insufficient evidence to carry out a full risk assessment of the evidence on sweeteners and health.”

‘Precautionary recommendations’

Nonetheless, the committee made “precautionary” recommendations that younger children should not have drinks sweetened with sugar or sweeteners, and they should only be given unsweetened food.

But the group of experts say that for older children “swapping sugars for sweeteners may help reduce sugar intake from foods and drinks (and so reduce energy intake), at least in the short term – the long-term goal is to limit both sugar and NSS intake”.

Naveed Sattar, professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, said: “I think this is a very balanced statement.

“I fully agree and would rather people take low-calorie drinks with artificial sweeteners every time than sugar-rich drinks both for weight and dental benefits and potentially other gains.

“However, the committee also correctly points out that until we have more evidence in the future on benefits and safety of sweeteners, it would be best to limit the intake of all such sweetened (including sweeteners) drinks in early childhood so that children become accustomed to drinking unsweetened drinks, preferably water.”

Dr Hilda Mulrooney, reader in nutrition and health at London Metropolitan University, added: “Recommendations were already – and have been for several years – that ideally young children should not drink squash. Milk or water are the best options.

“Sugar-sweetened squash is not recommended due to the sugar content but even sweetened with NSS, it enhances preferences for sweet tastes in children which can be hard to overcome.”

Prof Robin May, chief scientific adviser for the Food Standards Agency, said: “All sweeteners approved for use in foods in Britain have been subject to a rigorous risk assessment before being authorised and the FSA maintains strict oversight of these products.

“We strongly support the committee’s call for industry to make data on the quantity of these sweeteners in their ingredients publicly available to provide better information on how much people are consuming and to help inform our assessments of these ingredients.”

A Department of Health spokesman said: “This government is committed to turning the tide on obesity and we have already taken bold action to block fast-food outlets near schools, alongside further measures to crack down on child-targeted junk food advertising on TV and online.

“These are just the first steps we’ll take as we shift the focus from sickness to prevention to deliver our Plan for Change and meet our ambition of raising the healthiest generation of children ever.”