The Study
Correlation Analyses of the Consumption of Artificial Sweeteners During Pregnancy and the Incidence of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
This study found that moms who ate more sugar-free sweets and drinks were more likely to get gestational diabetes, but it doesn’t prove the sweets caused it — maybe moms who ate more sweets also ate other unhealthy things, or were less active. It’s like noticing that kids who wear red shoes often fall down — maybe the shoes aren’t the cause, but something else is going on.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at pregnant women who ate a lot of sugar-free foods with artificial sweeteners and found they were more likely to get gestational diabetes than those who ate less.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — nearly 6 in 10 high consumers got GDM, which is much higher than the 4 in 10 low consumers, suggesting a strong real-world link.
- 256.9% of women who ate a lot of artificial sweeteners got gestational diabetes; only 43.1% of those who ate little did.
- 3Eating a lot of sweeteners made the chance of getting diabetes 2.66 times higher.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity
Year
2025
Authors
Li Huang, Yanling Huang, Huan-wen Zhang, Chunmei Lyu
Related Content
Claims (4)
If a pregnant woman drinks a lot of diet sodas or eats lots of foods with artificial sweeteners, she might be more likely to get gestational diabetes, even after accounting for things like her weight and diet.
If a pregnant woman drinks a lot of diet sodas or eats foods with artificial sweeteners, she might be more likely to develop gestational diabetes—even if she was normal weight or overweight before getting pregnant.
Women who eat or drink a lot of sugar-free sweeteners while pregnant are more likely to get gestational diabetes than those who eat very little of them.
People who drink diet sodas or use artificial sweeteners often have health problems, but it might not be because the sweeteners cause the problems — maybe people who are already unhealthy are just more likely to use them.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.