Study suggests possible link between artificial sweeteners and heart disease
These food additives ?should not be considered a healthy and safe alternative to sugar,? argue researchers
A large study of French adults published by The BMJ today suggests a potential direct association between higher artificial sweetener consumption and increased cardiovascular disease risk, including 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; ?7000m) 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 (Ins...
