Feb 21, 2025 23:00:00

Artificial sweetener aspartame may cause arteriosclerosis and increase risk of heart disease and stroke

Aspartame , an artificial sweetener widely used in low-calorie drinks and sweets, has been classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a ' possible carcinogen ,' raising concerns that it may have adverse health effects. A new study has shown that mice given aspartame may develop arteriosclerosis and increase their risk of heart disease and stroke.

Sweetener aspartame aggravates atherosclerosis through insulin-triggered inflammation - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413125000063

EXPERT REACTION: Common artificial sweetener can damage the hearts of mice - Scimex
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/common-artificial-sweetener-can-damage-the-hearts-of-mice

Study Reveals How This Artificial Sweetener May Cause Heart Damage : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/study-reveals-how-this-artificial-sweetener-may-cause-heart-damage

A research team from the United States, China, Sweden and other countries conducted an experiment in which mice were fed food containing 0 to 0.15% aspartame, a common artificial sweetener, for 12 weeks. This is the equivalent of the amount of aspartame consumed by a human drinking about three cans of diet soda per day.

The results showed that mice given aspartame developed larger, fatty plaques (atheromas) in their arteries and higher levels of vascular inflammation compared to mice given no aspartame.

The images below show the arteries of mice fed 'Vehicle (0% aspartame)', '0.05% aspartame', '0.10% aspartame', and '0.15% aspartame', from the left, and it has been reported that the higher the amount of aspartame, the greater the accumulation of plaque. The condition in which plaque accumulates in the arteries and narrows the defects is called atherosclerosis , and it is said to increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

When the research team analyzed the blood of the mice, they found that after ingesting aspartame, the amount of

insulin secreted in the mice's bodies rose sharply. This is thought to be because sweetness receptors in tissues such as the mouth and intestines reacted to aspartame, stimulating the secretion of insulin.

In addition, they found that a signaling molecule called 'CX3CL1,' which becomes more active when insulin secretion increases, is related to plaque accumulation associated with insulin secretion. In fact, removing the CX3CL1 receptor stopped the dangerous plaque accumulation in the arteries.

'Blood flow through arteries is strong and robust, so as the heart pumps, most chemicals are quickly flushed away,' said study co-author Yihai Cao, who studies vascular-related chronic diseases at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. 'But surprisingly, CX3CL1 was different; it remained attached to the surface of the blood vessel lining, where it acted like bait, capturing passing immune cells.'

The study was conducted on mice, and it has not been confirmed whether the effects would be similar in humans. The mice used in the study were experimental strains that carry genes that make them susceptible to heart disease, and the diet itself was high in fat and cholesterol, which also make people more susceptible to heart disease.

Oliver Jones, a chemist at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia, pointed out that aspartame has been shown to have no effect on blood sugar or insulin in humans, and that 'even if aspartame does cause an increased cardiovascular risk, the risk is likely to be very small compared with a high-fat, high-sugar diet or lack of exercise,' arguing that this study does not increase concerns about aspartame.

'Artificial sweeteners have permeated almost every type of food, so we need to know the long-term health effects,' Cao said.