Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers: Impact on health, obesity, safety and sustainability (SWEET)

SWEET is a European Commission Horizon 2020 funded project, supported by a consortium of 29 pan-European research, consumer and industry partners, who will develop and review evidence on long term benefits and potential risks involved in switching over to sweeteners and sweetness enhancers (S&SEs) in the context of public health and safety, obesity, and sustainability. The 5-year multidisciplinary project engages stakeholders from across the food chain — consumers, patients, health professionals, scientists, policymakers, and regulators — to address the role of sweeteners in weight control, and potentially move viable products to market. Stakeholders, including consumers, patients, health professionals, scientists, policymakers, and regulators will engage in the project.

Dr Clare Llewellyn is leading a programme of research contributing to a work package focusing on ‘Population-based studies on sugar, sweeteners and health’.  Researchers in UCL’s Department of Behavioural Science and Health are using dietary, behavioural and growth data from UCL's large population-based birth cohort of 2400 families with twins born in 2007 (Gemini) to study: (i) associations between intake of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers, food preferences and weight gain from toddlerhood to childhood; and (ii) genetic and environmental influences on intake of sweeteners and sweetener enhancers in toddlerhood and childhood.