A study by Sorbonne Paris Nord University and the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research has found that people who frequently consume artificial sugars have a 13% higher risk of developing cancer.
The team found a higher cancer risk in people who took acesulfame-K and aspartame. These sweeteners are in many different products in the U.K, including cheese yoghurt, Coke Zero and Diet Coke. This study is the first to find this link. However, the researchers note that the association might not be causal.
Furthermore, the study has several limitations, making experts believe that there is no evidence that people who abandon artificial sweetness for natural sugars will eventually be healthier.
How researchers conducted the study
The researchers gathered 102,800 adults from France for the study. About 75% of the participants were female. Moreover, the volunteers had an average age of 42. The team compared their artificial sugar intake to the number of cancer diagnoses they had received. Their findings indicated that 37% were aware of consuming a sweeter each day.
When the study ended, 3,300 volunteers had been diagnosed with cancer. When the disease was detected, they were at an average age of 59.5. Researchers also realised that volunteers who consumed the most artificial sugars were 13% more likely to develop cancer. The number rose for people who consumed acesulfame-K and aspartame. These sugars are typically 200 times sweeter than natural sugars.
Cancers the sweeteners were more likely to cause
Researchers also found that the volunteers were more likely to develop breast cancer. The risk for breast cancer was 22% more when they consumed aspartame. Other cancers they were more likely to develop were related to obesity.
As this is the first time researchers have found such results, they would need to be duplicated in larger sample groups. Moreover, researchers would have to assess the reasons for the results. However, they could still help health agencies like the European Food Safety Authority re-assess the use of sweeteners in food products.
The consensus is that there is no evidence proving that artificial sweetness can cause cancer despite many studies on the topic. Moreover, the kind of people who use and don’t use sweetness is also different, thus affecting the results.
