The Study
Long-term aspartame and saccharin intakes are related to greater volumes of visceral, intermuscular, and subcutaneous adipose tissue: the CARDIA study
This study watched a big group of people for 25 years and noticed that those who drank more diet soda or ate more artificial sweeteners also tended to gain more belly fat. But it didn’t make anyone drink them—it just watched what happened. So we can’t say the sweeteners caused the fat gain—maybe people who were already gaining weight chose diet drinks to try to lose weight.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at people who drank diet sodas or ate foods with artificial sweeteners for 25 years and checked if they gained more belly and muscle fat than others.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 560 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — gaining even 10–15% more fat around organs and muscles can raise your risk of diabetes and heart disease, even if you don’t eat more calories.
- 2People who drank the most diet soda or ate the most aspartame and saccharin had 10–15% more belly and muscle fat and were 57–78% more likely to become obese than those who ate the least.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
International Journal of Obesity (2005)
Year
2023
Authors
Brian T. Steffen, D. Jacobs, So-Yun Yi, S. Lees, J. Shikany, J. Terry, Cora E. Lewis, J. Carr, Xia Zhou, L. Steffen
Related Content
Claims (6)
People who consume aspartame and saccharin over many years have a 57–78% higher rate of developing obesity compared to those who do not, even when accounting for their starting weight, diet quality, and calorie intake.
Over 25 years, people who consumed saccharin or aspartame experienced greater increases in body weight, waist size, and BMI compared to those who did not, while sucralose consumption showed no consistent pattern of change in body fat or measurements.
Middle-aged adults who consume aspartame and saccharin over a long period have 8–15% more fat in visceral, intermuscular, and subcutaneous depots compared to those who do not, even when total calorie intake and diet quality are the same.
People who drink diet beverages have higher amounts of fat around internal organs, between muscles, and under the skin, and are more likely to be obese.
People who consume artificial sweeteners tend to have more fat tissue, even when their total calorie intake and overall diet quality are accounted for.
People who regularly consume low-calorie sweeteners tend to have more abdominal fat and larger waist measurements compared to those who do not.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.