Confirmed in Animal Experiments by Swedish Research Team
Aspartame Shown to Cause Insulin Surge and Promote Vascular Inflammation
A study has found that aspartame, an artificial sweetener used instead of sugar in 'zero-calorie' drinks due to its lack of calorie burden, may actually raise insulin levels and cause cardiovascular disease.
Professor Yi-Hai Chao's team at Karolinska Institute in Sweden announced on the 20th (local time) in the scientific journal Cell Metabolism that "feeding mice food containing aspartame resulted in a sharp increase in insulin levels and the formation of larger and more numerous fat plaques in the arteries."
The researchers fed mice food containing 0.15% aspartame daily for 12 weeks and then examined their blood and vascular condition. The amount of aspartame given to the mice was equivalent to a person drinking three cans of zero-calorie drinks daily.
As a result of the experiment, mice fed with aspartame-containing food developed larger and more numerous fat plaques in their arteries compared to mice that did not consume aspartame. Plaques refer to the accumulation of fats and other substances inside blood vessels, which can cause atherosclerosis and lead to cardiovascular disease.
Additionally, inflammation levels, a characteristic of worsening cardiovascular health, were higher, and insulin levels were found to spike sharply. The research team explained, "Aspartame, which is 200 times sweeter than sugar, appears to deceive sweet taste receptors, inducing the secretion of more insulin," adding, "Considering that sweet taste receptors are abundant in the mouth and intestines, this result is not surprising."
The team revealed that this increase in insulin levels activates the immune signaling protein (CX3CL1) in the vascular endothelium, promoting plaque accumulation in the arteries. They added, "This suggests that insulin may be a key link between aspartame and cardiovascular health."
The researchers explained, "This study shows that aspartame increases insulin levels in animals, causing atherosclerosis by accumulating fat plaques in the arteries, which over time raises inflammation levels and increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes." They also emphasized, "Since artificial sweeteners have penetrated almost all types of food, it is necessary to understand their long-term health effects," and added, "We plan to verify these results in human subjects in the future."
Aspartame is one of the artificial sweeteners used as a substitute for sugar. It is 200 times sweeter than sugar but has almost zero calories, so it is widely used in zero-calorie drinks recently. Until now, major health organizations such as the WHO have maintained that it does not pose a special health problem if intake is not excessive. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a maximum daily intake of aspartame of 50 mg per kilogram of body weight.
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