WHO says artificial sweeteners may increase the risk of serious heart diseases

Heart Brains: It has been proposed that artificial sweeteners increase the risk of cardiovascular events such as stroke and heart attack. Experts have warned that various studies have proved that artificial sweeteners increase the chances of cardiovascular events by up to 9 percent.

People with diabetes or obesity often use artificial sweeteners, also known as non-sugar sweeteners (NSS), as a substitute for sugar.
Earlier, it was believed that the use of NSS could help in weight loss and reduce blood sugar levels until the latest guidelines were issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO guidelines now advise against the use of non-sugar sweeteners to control body weight or reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.

“One reason may be that some artificial sweeteners increase the propensity of certain clotting agents such as platelet aggregation, which initiate clot formation and lead to heart attack or stroke,” says Dr. Udgeeth Dhir (CTVS), Fortis Memorial Research Institute told IANS.

Another reason could be that these artificial sweeteners cause some inflammation in the gut, which leads to an unhealthy vessel wall, and patients who already suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure are already at risk of heart disease. happens, which goes on and adds fuel to it. Fire.

“Artificial sweeteners should be replaced with a pinch of spice instead of more healthy options. Artificial sweeteners are not a solution for lowering your blood sugar and once we know they are at high risk then one should be cautious before using these artificial sweeteners,” Dr Dheer advises.

Some artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, have been linked to an increased risk of stroke, and sucrose and stevia have been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases, he said.

Artificial sweeteners have been shown to be associated with an increase in CVD risk.

“According to various studies, these are associated with an increased risk of dyslipidemia, abdominal obesity, high blood glucose, insulin resistance and hypertension. Vascular dysfunction has been observed in experimental studies (in rodent models),” Dr. Bhawna Attri, Consultant-Endocrinology, Sarvodaya Hospital said.

Systematic reviews have found short-term benefits for weight loss with the use of NSS, but no evidence of long-term benefits in reducing body fat.

In fact, long-term use of NSS may have potentially undesirable effects, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and mortality in adults.

“Specifically, saccharin use has been linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer, although the evidence supporting this is limited,” said Dr Charu Dua, chief clinical nutritionist, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad.
Experts feel that there is a need for our own country’s guidelines on non-sugar sweeteners, especially as their consumption is on the rise in India.

“For long-term health benefits, I recommend reducing free sugar intake in our diets and switching to natural alternative sources of sugar, such as fruits and dates, rather than increasing NSS consumption,” Chief Clinical Nutritionist Dr. Charu Dua said. , Amrita Hospital, Faridabad.