Artificial sweeteners linked to increased risk of heart disease, study finds

Artificial sweeteners should not be considered a healthy and safe alternative to sugar, according to researchers.

The harmful effects of added sugars have been known for a long time, leading food companies to use artificial sweeteners instead in a wide range of food and drinks consumed daily by millions of people.

Their use has come under increased scrutiny in recent years, despite the fact that study findings have been divided about their part in various diseases.

Data from human studies was limited and previous observational studies focused solely on artificially sweetened drinks as a proxy for cardiovascular disease.

A large-scale prospective cohort study suggests that higher consumption of artificial sweetener may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

In line with the current position of several health agencies, our results indicate that these food Additives, consumed daily by millions of people and present in thousands of foods and beverages, should not be considered a healthy and safe Alternative to Sugar.

Artificial sweeteners were found to increase the risk of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and coronary heart diseases. They wrote that the results suggested that artificial sweeteners might be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease prevention.

The research, led by experts from the Sorbonne ParisNord University, looked at the intake of sweeteners from all sources and compared it to their risk of heart or circulatory diseases.

Four in five participants were women. Diet records were used to track the intake of sweetened beverages.

The diet diary was repeated three times in six months, with the participants noting everything they ate for 24 hours. 42% of them used artificial sweeteners.

Heart attacks, stokes, mini strokes and angina were some of the cardiovascular events that were recorded.

The risk of cardiovascular disease was linked to artificial sweeteners consumption. Artificial sweetener consumption is associated with an 18% higher risk of cerebrovascular disease, a condition that affects the blood flow to the brain.

A specific type of sweetener was associated with an increased risk of cerebrovascular events.

The study was observational and can't say whether other unknown factors influenced the results. The researchers said that the findings were in line with other studies linking artificial sweeteners with markers of poor health. They said more studies were necessary.