A study of more than 100 000 French adults published by The BMJ suggests an association between artificial sweeteners and increased cardiovascular disease risk, including heart attack and stroke.

Artificial sweeteners are present in thousands of food and beverage brands worldwide, however they remain a controversial topic and are currently being re-evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority, the World Health Organization, and other health agencies.

A team of researchers from the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and colleagues conducted the large scale prospective cohort study with findings suggesting a potential direct association between higher artificial sweetener consumption (especially aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose) and increased cardiovascular disease risk.

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More information: Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiovascular diseases: results from the prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort, The BMJ (2022). DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2022-071204

Journal information: British Medical Journal (BMJ)