The Study
Artificial Sweeteners and Cardiovascular Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
This study looks at other studies that watched people over time to see if those who had more sweeteners in their blood had more heart problems. It found a link, but it can't say for sure that the sweeteners caused the problems — something else might be going on.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at studies to see if fake sugars might be linked to heart problems. They checked blood levels of sweetener markers and how much people ate.
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 554 / 100
Quality score
The highest quality evidence. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that pool randomized controlled trials, giving the most reliable summary of experimental evidence.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The blood link suggests a possible risk, but it's not proof.
- 2The lack of clear dietary link and missing small studies make it hard to say for sure.
- 3People with the most sweetener markers in their blood had 26% more heart problems.
- 4But eating more sweeteners didn't clearly lead to more heart issues.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nutrition reviews
Year
2026
Authors
Sofía Gimeno-Ruiz, Carolina Torrijo-Belanche, A. Muñoz-Cabrejas, M. Morales-Suarez-Varela, Pilar Guallar-Castillón, B. Moreno-Franco
Related Content
Claims (6)
Some artificial sweeteners with no calories might raise your chances of having a heart attack.
We're not really sure if artificial sweeteners affect heart health because most studies only looked at certain foods, not overall intake, and there just aren't enough studies to be confident.
Eating artificial sweeteners doesn't show a clear link to heart‑related deaths or heart problems, according to studies that looked at what adults eat.
Studies looking at sugar-related substances in the blood and heart problems don’t agree very well with each other — the results vary a lot, possibly because of different people, methods, or hidden factors.
Some researchers think that studies showing no link between sugar-related compounds in blood and heart problems might be missing from the research — especially smaller ones — which could skew what we think is true.
If someone has higher levels of certain sweetener-related chemicals in their blood, they might be more likely to have heart problems later—about 26% more likely, according to studies tracking people over time.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.