Fig 1.
Literature search and selection process.
Table 1.
Characteristics of included systematic reviews and reviews with some description of systematic approach to study selection.
Fig 2.
Features of included reviews without description of study selection, all narrative analyses.
Fig 3.
Main hypotheses identified from all included reviews mapped against the evidence found in systematic reviews and reviews with systematic approach to study selection.
a Data extracted from systematic reviews and reviews with description of systematic approach (from Table 1). Categorisation is based on our judgement of the aim, research question or hypotheses presented, study inclusion criteria and analyses presented in each review against the hypothesis. Evidence summaries of observational studies were not considered for this presentation. A: Animal studies.
Fig 4.
Number of participants and longest follow-up timea in cited observational studies (n = 24).
Data from the reviews in Table 1 that presented characteristics on all included primary studies. All studies presented results on diet soda consumption with unspecified type of intense sweetener used. a For studies analysed in multiple primary publications, the longest follow-up is presented.
Fig 5.
Number of participants and longest follow-up time in cited human experimental studies (n = 118) in categories defined by intense sweeteners versus comparator studied.
Data from the reviews in Table 1 that presented characteristics on all included primary studies. a One study with 641 participants and 78 weeks follow-up outside chart area. b One study with 414 participants and 43 weeks follow-up outside chart area.