The Study
Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular diseases: results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort
This study watched a bunch of people over many years and noticed that those who ate more artificial sweeteners also had more heart problems. But it didn’t make people change what they ate — so we can’t say the sweeteners caused the problems, just that they tended to happen together.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at whether people who drink diet drinks or eat foods with artificial sweeteners are more likely to have heart problems than those who don't.
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 566 / 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.
- 1Even though the increase in risk is small for each person, because so many people consume these sweeteners daily, it could affect a lot of people's health over time.
- 2People who ate more artificial sweeteners had a 9% higher chance of heart disease, 17% higher chance of stroke, and those who ate acesulfame potassium or sucralose had 40% and 31% higher chances of heart artery problems.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The BMJ
Year
2022
Authors
C. Debras, E. Chazelas, L. Sellem, R. Porcher, N. Druesne-Pecollo, Y. Esseddik, Fabien Szabo de Edelenyi, C. Agaësse, A. De Sa, Rebecca Lutchia, L. Fezeu, C. Julia, E. Kesse‐Guyot, B. Allès, P. Galan, S. Hercberg, M. Deschasaux-Tanguy, I. Huybrechts, B. Srour, M. Touvier
Related Content
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Claims (6)
People who consume more artificial sweeteners in their diet have a higher rate of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and coronary heart disease.
People who consume more artificial sweeteners have a 9% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to those who consume less, according to a long-term study of over 100,000 French adults.
People who consume more acesulfame potassium or sucralose have a higher rate of coronary heart disease compared to those who consume less, and this association differs from the pattern seen with aspartame.
People who consume more aspartame have a 17% higher risk of experiencing cerebrovascular disease, such as stroke or transient ischemic attack, compared to those who consume less, according to data from a large adult cohort study.
People who drink beverages containing artificial sweeteners have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who consume the same sweeteners in solid foods.
Replacing added sugars with artificial sweeteners does not change the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the general population.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.