Artificially sweetened drinks may not be a healthier option after all, with a new study finding an increased risk of heart issues
Results stemmed from the French NutriNet-Santé study with over 104,000 participants and their dietary records, completed every six months, according to a news release. Findings were published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology.
“Compared to non-consumers, both higher consumers of sugary drinks and of artificially sweetened beverages had higher risks of first incident cardiovascular disease, after taking into account a wide range of confounding factors,” study authors wrote
These incidents were serious, including strokes and heart attacks. After dropping the first three years of a decades-worth of follow-up data to remove biases, researchers found that nearly 1,400 participants had their first case of heart disease.
However, the International Sweeteners Association (ISA) questioned the study’s findings in a letter touting the safety of all approved low and no-calorie sweeteners.
“At a time when obesity and non-communicable diseases including diabetes and dental diseases remain major global health challenges, and in light of current public health recommendations to reduce overall sugar intake, low/no calorie sweeteners can be helpful in creating healthier food environments,” the letter stated, in part. “They provide a wide choice of sweet-tasting options with low or no calories, and thus can be a useful tool when used in place of sugar and as part of a balanced diet, in helping reduce overall sugar and calorie intake, as well as in managing blood glucose levels and in contributing to tooth demineralisation, which is one of the reasons for tooth decay.”
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