Artificial sweeteners may not be safe sugar alternatives

Artificial sweeteners lower the amount of added sugar and calories while preserving sweetness. According to a recent study published in PLOS Medicine, some artificial sweeteners are linked to higher cancer risk.

Millions of individuals eat artificial sweetener-containing food and beverages daily. However, the safety of these additions has been questioned. Researchers examined data from 102,865 French adults who took part in the NutriNet-Santé trial to assess the potential carcinogenicity of artificial sweeteners. Researchers gathered information about artificial sweetener consumption from 24-hour dietary records.

The researchers discovered that enrollees who consumed more artificial sweeteners, particularly aspartame and acesulfame-K, had a greater risk of overall cancer than non-consumers. Breast cancer and obesity-related cancers were shown to have higher risks.

Our findings do not support the use of artificial sweeteners as safe sugar substitutes in foods or beverages," the authors opined. While needing to be reproduced in larger cohorts and experimentally explained, these findings are significant.

Source: PLOS Medicine