Sugar replacements, otherwise known as artificial sweeteners, do not help in losing weight and can have serious health effects, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

.@WHO's new guideline recommends against the use of non-sugar sweeteners to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases. The recommendation applies to all people except individuals with pre-existing #diabetes. https://t.co/QDUyblbBd6

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) May 15, 2023

The UN health agency released new guidelines on Monday advising against using so-called non-sugar sweeteners, or NSS. Sweeteners are consumed by millions of people every day in products like diet soda or to sweeten coffee, partly as a way to avoid weight gain from sugar. But how healthy these substitutes are has long been a matter of controversy.

A systematic review of available evidence “suggests that use of NSS does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children,” the WHO said.

In addition, results from the review “suggest that there may be potential undesirable effects from long-term use of NSS, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mortality in adults.”