A recent study has suggested a potential direct association between high consumption of artificial sweeteners and increased cardiovascular disease risk, which includes stroke and heart attack.
Artificial sweeteners are mostly used as low-calorie alternatives to sugar. They also represent a 7200 million dollars global market. Artificial sweeteners are found in thousands of products across the world, particularly ultra-processed foods like artificially sweetened drinks, low-calorie ready meals, and snacks.
Many studies have linked the consumption of artificial sweeteners and artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) to weight gain, inflammation, and high blood pressure, but the findings of the studies remain mixed about the role of artificial sweeteners in the cause of different diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD).
Several observational studies have used ASB consumption as a proxy to explore the risk of CVD, but no one has measured artificial sweetener intake from the overall diet. The researchers observed dietary intakes and consumption of artificial sweeteners by the dietary records, and a range of potentially influential health, sociodemographic, and lifestyle factors were taken into account.
Artificial sweeteners from all dietary sources, including beverages, dairy products, etc., were also included in the analysis. A total of 37 percent of participants consumed artificial sweeteners, with an average consumption of 42.46 mg/day that corresponds to around one individual packet of tabletop sweetener and 100 ml of diet soda.
