Artificial Sweeteners May Not Be Safe Sugar Alternatives

AHA Publisher — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 07:00:43 +0000

PLOS via Newswise – Artificial sweeteners reduce added sugar content and corresponding calories while maintaining sweetness. A study publishing March 24th in PLOS Medicine by Charlotte Debras and Mathilde Touvier at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) and Sorbonne Paris Nord University, France and colleagues suggests that some artificial sweeteners are associated with increased cancer risk. Many food products and beverages containing artificial sweeteners are consumed by millions of people daily. However, the safety of these additives has been a subject of debate. To evaluate the potential carcinogenicity of artificial sweeteners, researchers analyzed data from 102,865 French adults participating in the NutriNet-Santé study. The NutriNet-Santé study is an ongoing web-based cohort initiated in 2009 by the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN). Participants enroll voluntarily and self-report medical history, sociodemographic, diet, lifestyle, and health data. Researchers gathered data concerning artificial sweetener intake from 24-hour dietary records. After collecting cancer diagnosis information during follow-up, the researchers conducted statistical analyses to investigate the associations between artificial sweetener intakes and cancer risk. They also adjusted for a range 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-grain foods, and dairy products. The researchers found that enrollees consuming larger quantities of artificial sweeteners, particularly aspartame and acesulfame-K, had higher risk of overall cancer compared to non-consumers (hazard ratio 1.13, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 1.25). Higher risks were observed for breast cancer and obesity-related cancers. The study had several important limitations; dietary intakes are self-reported. Selection bias may also have been a factor, as participants were more likely to be women, to have higher educational levels, and to exhibit health-conscious behaviors. The observational nature of the study also means that residual confounding is possible and reverse causality cannot be ruled out. Additional research will be required to confirm the findings and clarify the underlying mechanisms. According to the authors, “Our findings do not support the use of artificial sweeteners as safe alternatives for sugar in foods or beverages and provide important and novel information to address the controversies about their potential adverse health effects. While these results need to be replicated in other large-scale cohorts and underlying mechanisms clarified by experimental studies, they provide important and novel insights for the ongoing re-evaluation of food additive sweeteners by the European Food Safety Authority and other health agencies globally”. Debras adds, “Results from the NutriNet-Santé cohort (n=102,865) 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 the re-evaluation of these food additives by health agencies.” To read the original article click here.

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Bad News for Your Brain: Artificially Sweetened Drinks Increase Risk of Stroke and Dementia

AHA Publisher — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 08:00:03 +0000

Leah Zerbe, MS, NASM-CPT, NASM-CES via Dr. Axe – Ever find yourself wondering, “Is diet soda bad for you?” It may seem like a better option compared to sugary soda, but the science shows that viewpoint falls flat. And now, we have even more reason to avoid soda at all costs. Artifiicially sweetened drinks increase risk of stroke and dementia. In other words, it’s hammering your brain. Researchers at Boston University crunched the numbers and found that people who drink diet soda are nearly three times more likely to experience stroke and dementia. And sugar-sweetened soda? That’s got its issues, too. Let’s take a look at the latest research… Artificially Sweetened Drinks Increase Risk of Stroke and Dementia Researchers studied the soda-drinking tendencies of nearly 3,000 adults and found some startling data on diet soda consumption. When looking at people older than 45 years old for stroke and older than 60 for dementia, they found that drinking diet soda regularly almost triples your risk of developing stroke or dementia. That risk held true even after considering other risk factors like overeating, diet quality, exercise levels and smoking. (1) “These studies are not the be-all and end-all, but it’s strong data and a very strong suggestion. It looks like there is not very much of an upside to having sugary drinks, and substituting the sugar with artificial sweeteners doesn’t seem to help. Maybe good old-fashioned water is something we need to get used to.” — Sudha Seshadri, MD, senior study author, neurology professor and faculty member at Boston University’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center (2) But the Boston University research team didn’t stop there. They also investigated impacts of drinking regular soda. And while sugar-sweetened beverages were not associated with stroke or dementia, this type of soda comes with its own set of problems. Whether it’s “real” sugar or we’re talking about high fructose corn syrup dangers related to soda, the science is clear. The sugar industry scandal of the 1950s and ’60s set a dietary disaster into motion. Faulty sugar industry-funded studies shifted public perception, tricking people into think fat, not sugar, was the nutritional villain. Now, we know better, understanding that healthy fats are vital for good health. But still, too many people are downing soda. Excess sugar is a well-known heart disease trigger that causes major metabolic damage. But Boston University researchers wanted to see how drinking sugary soda, soft drinks and fruit juice impacts the human brain. Using MRI imaging, cognitive tests and existing data, scientists found drinking more than two sugary drinks a day or more than 3 sodas a results in smaller brain volume. We’re talking actual brain shrinkage here, reducing the size of the hippocampus. It also sets accelerated brain aging into motion and results in poorer memory. These are all risk factors for early-stage Alzheimer’s. Even a diet soda a day results in smaller brain volume. (3) Other Conditions Linked to Diet Soda Boston University showed the first connection between diet soda and dementia, but there’s a long list of medical researcher linking artificially sweetened drinks to a slew of other health problems, including: • Depression. Drinking 4+ cans a day is linked to a 30 percent higher risk of depression. (4) • Kidney Damage. Long-term diet soda drinking is linked to a 30 percent reduction in kidney function. (5) • Type 2 Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome. Drinking diet soda daily increases your risk of metabolic syndrome by 36 percent; it increases your risk of type 2 diabetes by 67 percent compared to non-diet soda drinkers. (6) 3 Health Drinks Way Better Than Soda Why drink something that shortens your life? Try these things instead: • Try tea time. Tea for Alzheimer’s can lower your risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 86 percent. Can’t stand tea? Drinking coffee can lower your risk of depression by 10 percent. (7) • Drink kombucha. Love the fizz soda brings? Try kombucha instead. Known as the “Immortal Health Elixir” by the Chinese, it’s bursting with gut-friendly probiotics. • Sip this trendy ancient tonic. Bone broth sells for upwards of $10 a cup in New York City and is making a comeback. Your great-grandma likely made it at least weekly. Try tapping into the healing power of bone broth. Final Thoughts: Artificially Sweetened Drinks Increase Risk of Stroke and Dementia • Drinking diet soda regularly triples your risk of stroke and dementia. • Drinking one diet soda a day shrinks your brain volume. • Drinking sugary soda regularly actually reduces the size of your hippocampus, triggers accelerated brain aging and results in poorer memory. These are all early-stage Alzheimer’s risk factors. • Instead of drinking diet or regular soda, try tea. It can reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 86 percent. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Axe click here.

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Artificial Sweeteners May Not Be Safe Sugar Alternatives

Bad News for Your Brain: Artificially Sweetened Drinks Increase Risk of Stroke and Dementia