Posted on 02/19/2025 11:13:24 AM PST by Red Badger
From diet sodas to zero-sugar ice creams, artificial sweeteners have long been marketed as a guilt-free way to satisfy a sweet tooth. However, new research published in Cell Metabolism suggests that one of the most common sugar substitutes, aspartame, may have unintended consequences for heart health.
A team of cardiovascular health experts and clinicians at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found that aspartame increases animal insulin levels, contributing to atherosclerosis—a buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries. Over time, this buildup can lead to inflammation, an increased risk of heart attacks, and even stroke.
Starting with a Can of Soda
The original spark for this study began with a seemingly ordinary moment: a can of diet soda at a research meeting.
“One of my students was sipping on this sugar-free drink, and I said, ‘Why don’t you look into that?’” recalls senior author Yihai Cao, a researcher at Karolinska Institute who studies chronic diseases related to blood vessel disorders.
While previous research has linked artificial sweeteners to health concerns like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, the biological mechanisms behind these links were unclear—until now.
Finding a Link with Aspartame
To investigate these underlying mechanisms, the researchers fed mice a diet containing 0.15% aspartame for 12 weeks, the human equivalent of drinking about three cans of diet soda daily. Compared to a control group that didn’t consume the sweetener, the aspartame-fed mice developed more significant fatty plaques in their arteries. These mice also showed higher levels of inflammation—warning signs of compromised cardiovascular health.
When the researchers analyzed the mice’s blood at the cellular level, they found that aspartame triggered a spike in insulin levels. While our bodies naturally release insulin in response to sweetness (thanks to receptors in our mouths, intestines, and other tissues), aspartame—200 times sweeter than sugar—appeared to overstimulate this process.
The researchers then uncovered a crucial link: this excess insulin encouraged the growth of fatty plaques in the arteries. Further investigation revealed a key player in this process—an immune signal called CX3CL1, which becomes especially active when insulin levels rise.
“Because blood flow through the artery is strong and robust, most chemicals would be quickly washed away as the heart pumps,” explains Cao. “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.”
These trapped immune cells contribute to inflammation, further accelerating plaque buildup. However, when the researchers eliminated CX3CL1 receptors from certain immune cells in aspartame-fed mice, the harmful plaque buildup didn’t occur.
What This Means for Human Health
While the study was conducted in mice, its findings raise important questions about the long-term health effects of artificial sweeteners in humans. Cao and his team plan to verify their results in human studies and believe that CX3CL1 could become a potential target for treating chronic diseases beyond cardiovascular issues, including stroke, arthritis, and diabetes.
“Artificial sweeteners have penetrated almost all kinds of food, so we have to know the long-term health impact,” says Cao.
This study suggests that for those who regularly consume artificial sweeteners, it may be worth reconsidering how much aspartame is in their diet. While sugar substitutes are often seen as healthier alternatives to sugar, this new research underscores the importance of understanding their full effects on the body—especially when it comes to heart health.
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Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Science Communicator at JILA (a world-leading physics research institute) and a science writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with her on BlueSky or contact her via email at kenna@thedebrief.org
It’s insulinogenic… you don’t say…
Excess insulin would cause an uptake of fat storage and burn out the pancreas…
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - asserting himself at the Department of Health and Human Services?
The Legal Industrial Complex is going to love this guy!
They’ve been after aspartame as death in a bottle since day 1, 40+ years ago, and now they retreat to some elementary animal model experiment ?
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