Sweeteners would be associated with a significant risk of cardiovascular disease

A team of French researchers has studied the health consequences of the consumption of sweeteners. They analyzed the health data of 103,388 adult participants in the study of cohort French company NutriNet-Santé with regard to their overall consumption of this type offood additives. This study was conducted by researchers from Inserm, Inrae, Cnam, Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Paris Cité University, within the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN). The results of these statistical analyzes published in the British Medical Journal suggest an association between general sweetener consumption and an increased risk of cardiovascular illnesses.

The safety of sweeteners is debated

The deleterious effects of sugars Additives have been established for several chronic diseases, leading food industries to use artificial sweeteners as alternatives in a wide range of foods and beverages. However, the safety of artificial sweeteners is the subject of debate and the data remain mixed as to their role in the onset of various diseases. A recent publication had, for example, observed an association between the consumption of sweeteners and the increased risk of cancer.

Based on the same methodology involving a large population study, the team wanted to examine the associations between the consumption of sweeteners and the risk of cardiovascular illnesses (coronary heart disease — diseases that affect the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart — and cerebrovascular disease — cerebrovascular disease is caused by damage to the brain that occurs as a result of insufficient blood flow or cerebral hemorrhage) .

While the increased risk of cardiovascular disease associated with the consumption of watered down drinks was suggested by several epidemiological studies, none had, until now, been interested in the exposure to artificial sweeteners as a whole, and not only to the drinks which contain them. But the sweeteners are for example present in some dairy productsand a multitude of light foods.

Accurate assessment of additive exposure

The scientists relied here on the data provided by 103,388 French adults participating in the study NutriNet-Health. The volunteers themselves said, via specific questionnaires, their medical history, their socio-demographic data, their habits in matter ofphysical activity, as well as indications on their way of life and their state of health. They also provided detailed information on their food consumption by sending scientists complete records over several 24-hour periods, including product names and brands. This made it possible to accurately assess their exposure to additivesand in particular sweeteners.

After collecting information about the diagnostic cardiovascular disease during the follow-up period (2009-2021), the researchers performed statistical analyzes to investigate the associations between the consumption of sweeteners and participants’ risk of cardiovascular disease. They took into account many potentially confounding factors such as age, gender,physical activitysmoking, family history of cardiovascular illnessesas well as contributions in energy, alcohol, sodium, saturated fatty acids and polyunsaturates, fiber, sugar, fruits and vegetables, and red and processed meat.

Sweeteners, a less and less recommended alternative to sugar

Scientists have found that total sweetener consumption is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, specifically cerebrovascular disease. Regarding types of sweeteners, aspartame was more closely associated with the risk of cerebrovascular disease and acesulfame-K and sucralose with the risk of coronary heart disease.

” This large-scale study suggests, in agreement with several other epidemiological studies on sweetened beverages, that sweeteners, food additives used in many foods and beverages, could represent a risk factor increased cardiovascular disease “, explains Charlotte Debras, doctoral student and first author of the study. Further research in other large-scale cohorts will be needed to replicate and confirm these results.

” These results, in agreement with the last WHO report published this year, do not support the use of sweeteners as safe alternatives to sugar and provide new information to respond to scientific debates regarding their potential health effects. They also provide important data for their ongoing reassessment by theEuropean Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and other public health agencies around the world concludes Dr. Mathilde Touvier, research director at Inserm and coordinator of the study.