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Studies have linked artificial sweeteners to an increased risk of heart disease. Though they provide enhanced taste, artificial sweeteners may not be a safe alternative to sugar, according to researchers. Added sugars to food have harmful effects linked to chronic diseases, which lead to food companies adopting the use of artificial sweeteners in numerous different foods and drinks. These foods are consumed daily touching millions of people across the world.
Studies before provided limited and scarce evidence that artificial sweeteners leave detrimental effects on those who consumed them. In an effort to prove that the sweeteners lead to cardiovascular disease, researchers came up short with only artificially sweetened drinks being the main basis of data to study from. Larger scale experiments found that higher consumption of artificial sweeteners has a direct correlation to cardiovascular disease in adults. Though they are consumed by millions in foods and beverages, artificial sweeteners have done and will continue to do more harm than good.
Studies
In the study of 103,000 french adults, artificial sweeteners were linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and coronary heart diseases. Researchers from Sorbonne Paris Nord University monitored the participant’s intake of sweeteners through drinks, dairy products, tabletop sweeteners, and dietary sources.
Participants of the study had an average age of 42, and for every five people, four were women. Diet records helped researchers track the sweetener intake. Participants logged everything they ate during the experiment, detailing the brand. The diet logs were repeated three times at six-month intervals, twice on weekdays and once on weekends. This data shows that 37% of the participants consumed artificial sweeteners.
Results
During a check-in period across a decade, 1,502 cardiovascular events were recorded, which included strokes, mini-strokes, angina, and heart attacks. This data is pivotal as it can be a turning tide in public health relations and if it proves to translate on a global scale, new policies can be brought to legislation to better the health of younger children and adults worldwide. Heart attacks and strokes take many people yearly in tragedies that studies have shown could have been prevented and with processed food being linked to cognitive decline, cancer, and early death it is only a matter of time until people begin to take notice.
Written by Mikal Eggleston
Edited by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
Prevention: New Studies Suggest Ultra-Processed Foods Lead to Cancer—Here’s What You Need to Know; by Arielle Weg
Healio: Eating ultra-processed ‘gateway’ foods drives unhealthy consumption patterns in teens; by Regina Schaffer
The Guardian: Artificial sweeteners linked to increased risk of heart disease, study finds; by Andrew Gregory
Featured Image Courtesy of Mark Bonica‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Holly Gramazio‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
