A study, involving more than 100,000 people, demonstrates the link between the consumption of sweeteners such as aspartame and acesulfame-K and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Coke without sugar, cereals or flavored yogurts… Many food products contain aspartame and acesulfame-K. A recent study by the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (Eren) looked at the consequences of their consumption on health and in particular cardiovascular, coronary and cerebrovascular diseases. L’Inserm publishes a summary.
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
The health data of 103,388 adults participant in the French cohort study NutriNet-Health with regard to their overall consumption of this type of food additives were analysed. They found an association between general consumption of sweeteners and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The results were published in the British Medical Journal.
A publication dating from last March had already observed an association between the consumption of sweeteners and an increased risk of cancer. “While the increased risk of cardiovascular disease associated with the consumption of sweetened beverages has been suggested by several epidemiological studies, none have, until now, looked at exposure to artificial sweeteners as a whole, and not only to the drinks that contain them. But sweeteners are for example present in certain dairy products, and a multitude of low-fat foods”, indicates Inserm.
A cohort of 103,388 adults
The cohort of 103,388 adults who took part in the study declared, via specific questionnaires, their medical history, their socio-demographic data, their habits in terms of physical activity, as well as indications on their lifestyle and their condition. health. They also specified their food consumption “over several 24-hour periods” with the names and brands of the products. Their exposure to additives might thus be assessed over a long period from 2009 to 2021.
The conclusions are clear, reports Inserm: 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, might represent an increased risk factor for cardiovascular disease”, explains Charlotte Debras, PhD student and first author of the study. Further research in other large-scale cohorts will be needed to replicate and confirm these results.
Sweeteners, not a safe alternative to sugar
Dr Mathilde Touvier, research director at Inserm and coordinator of the study, brings a not very reassuring conclusion: “These results, in agreement with the latest WHO report published this year, do not support the use of sweeteners as safe alternatives to sugar and provide new insights to address scientific debates regarding their potential health effects.”
