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The use of
Artificial sweeteners
in drinks and foods it has become popular in recent years because they manage to sweeten without the contribution of calories that added sugar entails. However, some studies have already pointed out that they are not a much healthier alternative from a nutritional point of view, since their consumption can also increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. Now, research published in “PLOS Medicine” by Charlotte Debras and Mathilde Touvier of the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and Sorbonne Paris Nord University (France), suggests that some artificial sweeteners are associated with a higher cancer risk.
This is an observational study, so does not establish a cause-effect, and the authors caution that additional research will be required to confirm the findings and clarify the underlying mechanisms.
“Our findings do not support the use of artificial sweeteners as safe alternatives to sugar in foods or beverages and provide important new information to address controversies about their potential adverse health effects. Although these results need to be replicated in other large-scale cohorts and the underlying mechanisms elucidated by experimental studies, they provide important and novel information for the ongoing re-evaluation of food additive sweeteners by the European Food Safety Authority and other regulatory agencies. global health”, point out the authors of the research.
To assess the potential carcinogenicity of artificial sweeteners, the researchers analyzed data from 102,865 French adults who participated in the NutriNet-Santé study, an ongoing cohort initiated in 2009 by the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN). Participants enroll voluntarily and self-report their medical history, sociodemographic, dietary, lifestyle, and health data.
The researchers collected data on artificial sweetener intake from 24-hour dietary records. After collecting information on cancer diagnosis during follow-up, the researchers performed statistical analyzes to investigate associations between artificial sweetener intake and cancer risk. They also adjusted for a variety of variables including age, sex, education, physical activity, smoking, body mass index, height, weight gain during follow-up, diabetes, family history of cancer, as well as baseline intakes of energy, alcohol, sodium, saturated fatty acids, fiber, sugar, whole foods, and dairy products.
The researchers found that participants who ate large amounts of artificial sweeteners, particularly
aspartame and acesulfame-K, had an increased risk of cancer overall compared to nonusers. Specifically, increased risks were seen for breast cancer and obesity-related cancers.
The study has several important limitations, such as that dietary intakes are self-reported. Selection bias may also have played a role, as participants were more likely to be female, have higher educational levels, and exhibit health-conscious behaviors. The observational nature of the study also means that residual confounding is possible and reverse causality cannot be ruled out.
“Results from the NutriNet-Santé cohort suggest that artificial sweeteners found in many food and beverage brands worldwide may be associated with increased cancer risk, in line with several experimental in vivo/in vitro studies. These findings provide novel information for re-evaluation of these food additives by health agencies,” Debras concludes.
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