Study finds potential link between artificial sweeteners and heart disease

Results from a large study of French adults suggest a potential direct link between increased and increased consumption of artificial sweeteners. cardiovascular disease risks involved heart attack and stroke.

The findings released today by the BMJ show that these food additives, consumed by millions of people every day and found in thousands of foods and beverages, are a healthy and safe alternative to sugar. It indicates that it should not be regarded as an object. health agency.

artificial sweetener It is widely used as a zero-calorie or low-calorie alternative to sugar. They represent his US$720 million global market and are found in thousands of products around the world, especially ultra-processed foods such as artificially sweetened beverages, some snacks and low-calorie ready-to-eat meals. .

Some Studies Link Consumption of artificial sweetener Or ingesting artificial sweeteners (ASBs) causes weight gain, hypertension, and inflammation, although research has been mixed about their role. artificial sweetener cause various diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). In addition, several observational studies have used ASB consumption as a surrogate for investigating cardiovascular disease risk, but none have measured intake of artificial sweeteners from the whole diet.

To investigate this further, the French National Institute of Health and Medicine (Inserm) and a team of colleague researchers collected data from 103,388 participants (mean age 42 years, 80% female) of the web-based NutriNet-Sante. pulled out. A study initiated in France in 2009 to investigate the relationship between nutrition and health.

Dietary intake and consumption of artificial sweeteners were assessed by repeated 24-h dietary records, taking into account various potentially influencing health, lifestyle, and sociodemographic factors.

Artificial sweeteners from all dietary sources (drinks, tabletop sweeteners, dairy, etc.) and by type (aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose) were included in the analysis.

A total of 37% of participants consumed artificial sweeteners, with an average intake of 42.46 mg/day, equivalent to approximately 1 bag of tabletop sweetener or 100 mL of diet soda.

Among participants who consumed artificial sweeteners, mean intakes in the low and high consumer categories were 7.46 mg/day and 77.62 mg/day, respectively.

Compared with non-consumers, higher consumers were younger, had a higher body mass index, were more likely to smoke, were less physically active, and were more likely to follow a weight loss diet. They had lower intakes of saturated and polyunsaturated fats, fiber, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, and higher intakes of sodium, red and processed meats, dairy products, and sugar-free beverages. considered these differences in their analysis.

During the average 9-year follow-up period, 1,502 cardiovascular events occurred. They included heart attack, angina pectoris, angioplasty (a procedure to widen a blockage or narrowed artery to the heart), transient ischemic attack, and stroke.

Researchers found that total intake of artificial sweeteners was associated with increased risk cardiovascular disease (The absolute rates are 346 per 100,000 person-years for high consumers and 314 per 100,000 person-years for non-consumers).

Artificial sweeteners were specifically associated with the risk of cerebrovascular disease (absolute probabilities of 195 and 150 per 100,000 person-years in high-value and non-consumers, respectively).

Aspartame intake was associated with an increased risk of cerebrovascular events (186 and 151 per 100,000 person-years in high and non-consumers, respectively). On the other hand, acesulfame potassium and sucralose were associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (acesulfame potassium: 167 and 164). per 100,000 person-years; sucralose: high and non-consumer, respectively 271 and 161 per 100,000 person-years).

Since this is an observational study, we cannot determine the cause. Nor can the researchers rule out the possibility that other unknown (confounding) factors may have influenced the results.

Nonetheless, this is a large-scale study that used accurate, high-quality dietary data to assess individual artificial sweetener intake, and the results suggest that artificial sweetener exposure and worsening health This is consistent with other studies that associate several markers of

As such, the researchers say their results suggest that substituting artificial sweeteners for added sugar does not provide any benefit to CVD outcomes.

Further prospective cohort studies are needed to confirm these results, they add, and studies are needed to clarify the biological pathways.

In the meantime, they said, the study provides important insight into the context of the reassessment of artificial sweeteners currently being conducted by the European Food Safety Authority, the World Health Organization, and other health organisations. suggests.

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