SWEETENERS – Too much sugar consumption is bad for your health. But replacing it with sweeteners might also be associated with an increased risk of cancerunderlines a vast study published this Thursday, March 24.
Given the deleterious effects of excessive sugar consumption (weight gain, cardio-metabolic disorders, cavities, etc.), theWorld Health Organization (WHO) recommends limiting sugar consumption to less than 10% of daily energy intake.
Sweeteners (such as aspartame, acesulfame-K or sucralose) reduce the added sugar content and the calories associated with it, while maintaining the sweet taste of the products.
But the safety of these food additives is debated.
To assess the risks associated with their consumption, researchers from Inserm, INRAE, Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Cnam, within the nutritional epidemiology research team (EREN), analyzed the health and sweetener consumption data from 102,865 French adults participating in the NutriNet-Santé cohort study.
Followed for some since 2009, these adults have regularly completed questionnaires on their diet, including the names and brands of the products consumed.
After collecting information on cancer diagnosis over follow-up (2009-2021), statistical analyzes investigated the associations between sweetener consumption and cancer risk.
Higher risks for breast cancer and those linked to obesity
According to the results of the study, published this Thursday in the journal PLOS Medicinepeople who consumed the most sweeteners, especially aspartame and acesulfame-K, had a higher risk of developing cancer.
“In this study, the heaviest consumers, beyond the median consumption, had a 13% increased risk of cancer compared to non-consumers,” Dr. Mathilde Touvier, research director at the University, told AFP. ‘Inserm.
Among these cancers, higher risks were observed for breast cancer and those related to obesity.
Until now, studies had suggested that the consumption of sugary drinks might promote the occurrence of cancer. But none had looked specifically at the effects of sweeteners.
The volunteers themselves declared their medical history, socio-demographic data, physical activities, as well as indications on their lifestyle and state of health.
“We cannot totally exclude biases related to consumer lifestyle, but taking into account multiple factors has made it possible to limit these biases”, explains Charlotte Debras, first author of the study.
Further research in other large-scale cohorts will be needed to replicate and confirm these results, she adds.
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