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A new study showed that a popular artificial sweetener could lead to an increased risk of heart attacks and stroke, the New York Post reports.
The study, which was conducted in Sweden by senior study author Yinhai Cao and his team, showed that long-term use of the popular sugar substitute can increase insulin levels in animals, which can make the two diseases more likely over time. Aspartame, which is 200 times sweeter than sugar and sold under brands such as Equal. Nutrasweet and Sugar Twin, was previously classified by the World Health Organization as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" in 2023.
The new study fed mice food containing 0.15% aspartame daily for 12 weeks, which would be the equivalent of humans drinking about three cans of soda each day and resulted in the rodents developing larger and more fatty plaques in their arteries, having also suffered inflammation, which is a major contributor to heart disease. Arterial plaque buildup was blamed for the high insulin levels and researchers determined that the immune signal CX3CL1 was especially active during insulin stimulation.
“Because blood flow through the artery is strong and robust, most chemicals would be quickly washed away as the heart pumps,” Cao said via the New York Post. “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.”