Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):21106.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-00612-3.

The effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on lipid profile in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials

AmirHossein Najafi  1   2   3 , Fatemeh Moghtaderi  1   2   3 , Behnaz Seyedjafari  1   2   3 , Kimia Rostampour  1   2   3 , Amin Salehi-Abargouei  4   5   6
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

The effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on lipid profile in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials

AmirHossein Najafi et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) have been suggested as a viable solution to reduce sugar consumption. However, conflicting and uncertain evidence regarding their impact on lipid profile exists. This meta-analysis assesses the effects of different types of NNS on lipid profile markers. PubMed, Web of Science ISI, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant articles up to September 2024. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was used for the quality assessment, and the evidence's trustworthiness was assessed using the Grading of Assessment, Development, and Evaluation of Recommendations (GRADE). A total of 28 articles revealed that NNS might not have a significant effect on serum triglycerides (Weighted mean difference (WMD): -2.66, 95% confidence interval (CI): -6.29, 0.98 mg/dL, n = 2209, level of confidence: low), total cholesterol (WMD: -0.44, 95% CI: -2.96, 2.08 mg/dl, n = 2047, level of confidence: low), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD: 0.03, 95% CI: -0.68, 0.74 mg/dl, n = 2097, level of confidence: low), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD: 0.51, 95% CI: -1.57, 2.59 mg/dl, n = 1777, level of confidence: low) and very low-density lipoprotein (WMD: 2.20, 95% CI: -2.66, 7.06 mg/dl, n = 154, level of confidence: very low). It is demonstrated that NNS might not affect serum lipid profile.

Keywords: Artificial sweeteners; High-density lipoprotein; Low-density lipoprotein; Total cholesterol; Triglyceride; Very low-density lipoprotein.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram for the study selection process.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Forest plot indicating the effects of NNS on triglyceride (TG). The analysis was done using a random effects model.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Forest plot indicating the effects of NNS on total cholesterol (TC). The analysis was done using a random effects model.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Forest plot indicating the effects of NNS on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The analysis was done using a random effects model.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Forest plot indicating the effects of NNS on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). The analysis was done using a random effects model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Cooney, M. et al. HDL cholesterol protects against cardiovascular disease in both genders, at all ages and at all levels of risk. Atherosclerosis206, 611–616 (2009). - PubMed
    1. Hedayatnia, M. et al. Dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease risk among the MASHAD study population. Lipids Health Dis.1910.1186/s12944-020-01204-y (2020). - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mendis, S., Puska, P., Norrving, B. & Organization, W. H. Global Atlas on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Control (World Health Organization, 2011).
    1. Bamba, V. & Rader, D. J. Obesity and atherogenic dyslipidemia. Gastroenterology132, 2181–2190. 10.1053/j.gastro.2007.03.056 (2007). - PubMed
    1. Djelilovic-Vranic, J. et al. Predilection role diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia in the onset of ischemic stroke. Med. Archives. 67, 120 (2013). - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources