Academics have identified a possible link between artificial sweeteners and heart disease in a new study, finding that food additives "should not be considered a healthy and safe alternative to sugar".
The study, published in The BMJ, examined information on more than 100,000 adults from France.
Led by experts from the Sorbonne Paris Nord University, the study examined participants' intake of sweeteners from all dietary sources including drinks, table top sweeteners, and dairy products and compared it to their risk of heart or circulatory diseases.
Participants had an average age of 42, and four out of five were women.
Researchers tracked sweetener intake using diet records.
Participants noted everything consumed, including which brand was used, for 24 hours, with the diet diary being repeated three times at six-month intervals, twice on weekdays and once on a weekend day.
Some 37% of participants consumed artificial sweeteners.
During an average follow-up period of nine years, 1,502 cardiovascular events were recorded by participants.
This included heart attacks, strokes, transient ischemic attacks (also known as mini strokes) and angina.
Researchers found that artificial sweetener consumption was linked to a 9% higher risk of heart disease.
When the researchers looked specifically at each type of illness, they found artificial sweetener consumption was linked to an 18% higher risk of cerebrovascular disease (conditions which affect the blood flow to the brain).
A specific type of sweetener called aspartame was associated with a 17% increased risk of cerebrovascular events, while acesulfame potassium and sucralose were associated with increased coronary heart disease risk.
"In this large-scale, prospective cohort of French adults, artificial sweeteners (especially aspartame, acesulfame potassium and sucralose) were associated with increased risk of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and coronary heart diseases," the authors wrote.
"The results suggest that artificial sweeteners might represent a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease prevention.
"The findings indicate that these food additives, consumed daily by millions of people and present in thousands of foods and beverages, should not be considered a healthy and safe alternative to sugar, in line with the current position of several health agencies."
