Browse evidence-based analysis of health-related claims and assertions
If you're an adult with extra weight, cutting calories by either fasting some days or eating less every day leads to similar weight loss and health improvements — neither method works much better than the other if you eat the same total amount of food.
It looks like the weight‑loss you get from intermittent fasting starts to slip back after about three months, but steady calorie‑cutting keeps the loss steady, so fasting might not work as well over the long run.
Eating a bit less consistently can lead to noticeable weight loss over a short period for people who are overweight or obese.
If you do alternate-day fasting, you’ll likely lose about 5 kilograms in the short term if you’re an adult with overweight or obesity.
Cutting calories a lot all the time helps people with extra weight lose the most pounds quickly — about 11.5 kilos on average in the short term.
If you're an adult with extra weight or metabolic issues, how much you eat matters way more than when you eat — cutting calories works the same whether you do intermittent fasting or just eat less every day, as long as the total calorie drop is the same.
We're not really sure if artificial sweeteners affect heart health because most studies only looked at certain foods, not overall intake, and there just aren't enough studies to be confident.
Some researchers think that studies showing no link between sugar-related compounds in blood and heart problems might be missing from the research — especially smaller ones — which could skew what we think is true.
Studies looking at sugar-related substances in the blood and heart problems don’t agree very well with each other — the results vary a lot, possibly because of different people, methods, or hidden factors.
Eating artificial sweeteners doesn't show a clear link to heart‑related deaths or heart problems, according to studies that looked at what adults eat.
If someone has higher levels of certain sweetener-related chemicals in their blood, they might be more likely to have heart problems later—about 26% more likely, according to studies tracking people over time.
Drinking or eating a lot of artificial sweeteners might increase your chances of having a stroke or a mini-stroke, according to a study of over 100,000 French adults followed for nearly a decade.
Drinking or eating a lot of sucralose might be linked to a higher chance of heart problems — like 31% higher — based on a big study of French adults who were followed for about 9 years.
Drinking or eating a lot of stuff with the sweetener acesulfame potassium might be linked to a higher chance of heart disease — about 40% more — based on a big study of French adults.
Drinking a lot of aspartame might raise your chances of having a stroke or a mini-stroke, according to a study of over 100,000 French adults followed for about 9 years.
If you drink or eat more artificial sweeteners, you might have a slightly higher chance of heart problems over time, according to a big study of French adults.
Drinking one or more diet sodas every day might be linked to a higher chance of dying from any cause, especially heart problems or stroke — even though these sweeteners are considered safe by regulators.
Drinking more low-calorie drinks might be linked to a higher chance of a certain kind of stroke, but it's possible that this link comes from body weight or other metabolic factors instead.
Scientists found a link between how our genes process artificial sweeteners like sucralose and a type of stroke, but that link seems to flip around when blood sugar is taken into account — meaning sugar levels might be the real player here.
Drinking tea with artificial sweeteners might be linked to a higher chance of a certain type of stroke, and this could be connected to how people usually drink tea or coffee.
People in the U.S. who use low-calorie sweeteners tend to eat about 6 fewer teaspoons of added sugar each day than people who don’t use them.
People in the U.S. who use low-calorie sweeteners tend to have higher weight, are more likely to be obese, and report more diabetes — even though they say they eat healthier and consume less sugar.
People in the U.S. who use low-calorie sweeteners tend to smoke less and eat a healthier diet compared to those who don’t, even when accounting for differences in income, education, and background.
People in the U.S. who use low-calorie sweeteners tend to have more education and earn more money, according to a large government health survey that tracked adults from 1988 to 2018.