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According to a study, there is a direct link between increased artificial sweetener consumption and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack and stroke. The findings indicate that these food additives, consumed daily by millions of people and present in thousands of foods and drinks, should not be considered a healthy and safe alternative to sugar, in line with the current position of several health agencies. Artificial sweeteners are widely used as no or low calorie alternatives to sugar. They represent a $7200m (£5900m; EUR7000m) global market and are found in thousands of products worldwide, particularly ultra-processed foods such as artificially sweetened drinks, some snacks, and low calorie ready meals.
Several studies have linked consumption of artificial sweeteners or artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) to weight gain, high blood pressure, and inflammation, but findings remain mixed about the role of artificial sweeteners in the cause of various diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). What's more, several observational studies have used ASB consumption as a proxy to explore CVD risk, but none have measured artificial sweetener intake from the overall diet.
To investigate this further, a team of researchers at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and colleagues, drew on data for 103,388 participants (average age 42 years; 80% female) of the web based NutriNet-Sante study, launched in France in 2009 to investigate relations between nutrition and health. Dietary intakes and consumption of artificial sweeteners were assessed by repeated 24-hour dietary records and a range of potentially influential health, lifestyle, and sociodemographic factors were taken into account.
Several studies have linked consumption of artificial sweeteners or artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) to weight gain, high blood pressure, and inflammation, but findings remain mixed about the role of artificial sweeteners in the cause of various diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). What's more, several observational studies have used ASB consumption as a proxy to explore CVD risk, but none have measured artificial sweetener intake from the overall diet.
To investigate this further, a team of researchers at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and colleagues, drew on data for 103,388 participants (average age 42 years; 80% female) of the web based NutriNet-Sante study, launched in France in 2009 to investigate relations between nutrition and health. Dietary intakes and consumption of artificial sweeteners were assessed by repeated 24-hour dietary records and a range of potentially influential health, lifestyle, and sociodemographic factors were taken into account.