You’re probably the exception if you don’t know someone who drinks Diet Coke religiously. For many a soda lover, it’s a no-calorie alternative to their favorite beverage, and it provides a jolt of caffeine to boot. However, new research shows that aspartame, the sugar alternative in diet sodas and other zero-sugar foods and drinks, can lead to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke over time.
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Aspartame has previously been studied for its cancerous properties.
Aspartame is one of the most commonly used sugar alternatives approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). It’s sold under the brand names NutraSweet, Equal, and Sugar Twin and used in more than 5,000 processed foods and drinks, including Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Snapple, sugar-free Jell-O, Mrs. Butterworth’s Sugar Free Syrup, and more, according to NBC News.
But despite its widespread use, aspartame was classified as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and World Health Organization (WHO) in mid-2023. After reviewing available research on the sugar substitute, the IARC concluded that there was “limited evidence for cancer in experimental animals and limited evidence related to the possible mechanisms for causing cancer.” So, they ultimately advised that more research was needed to understand the cancer-causing effects on humans.
However, aspartame is currently facing a potential ban in Europe. As Best Life recently reported, a petition from a trio of organizations, including the French League Against Cancer, is asking for aspartame to be banned in 11 European countries, citing the WHO’s stance on the ingredient.
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Aspartame may also affect cardiovascular health, new research finds.
While this verdict is still out about aspartame and cancer, new research suggests that it may affect the cardiovascular system. Published this week in the Cell Press journal Cell Metabolism, the study was conducted by cardiovascular health experts and clinicians who examined the effects of aspartame on mice.
According to a press release, “the researchers fed mice daily doses of food containing 0.15% aspartame for 12 weeks—an amount that corresponds to consuming about three cans of diet soda each day for humans.”
Compared to those that did not receive the sugar substitute, the mice showed the following outcomes:
- Larger and more fatty plaques in their arteries (which can restrict blood flow and lead to heart disease or stroke)
- Higher inflammation levels (linked to poor cardiovascular health)
- A surge in insulin
As the press release explains, our mouths, intestines, and other tissues are lined with “sweetness-detecting receptors that help guide insulin release.” And since aspartame is 200 times sweeter than regular sugar, the research suggests that it is “tricking” the receptors into releasing more insulin—which is triggering a specific immune signal, called CX3CL1, to become activated.
“Because blood flow through the artery is strong and robust, most chemicals would be quickly washed away as the heart pumps,” said lead study author Yihai Cao, an expert in chronic diseases related to blood vessel disorders at Karolinska Institute in Sweden. “Surprisingly, not CX3CL1. It stays glued to the surface of the inner lining of blood vessels. There, it acts like a bait, catching immune cells as they pass by.”
This buildup of immune cells then causes blood vessel inflammation and a buildup of fatty plaques. Conversely, when the researchers removed the CX3CL1 receptors from immune cells in the mice that consumed aspartame, the plaque buildup didn’t occur.
“Artificial sweeteners have penetrated almost all kinds of food, so we have to know the long-term health impact,” says Cao, who next plans to study aspartame’s effects on humans.
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The takeaway:
Aspartame is one of the most commonly used sugar alternatives, notably found in many diet sodas. Previous research has studied its cancer-causing effects, but a new study shows how it might increase the risk of heart attack and stroke by causing a spike in insulin that leads to a negative immune response. However, this research was done in mice, and human-level studies are necessary to determine aspartame’s true cardiovascular effects.
