Higher artificial sweetener consumption is associated with an increased cardiovascular disease risk, according to a study in The BMJ.

“Our results indicate that these food additives, consumed daily by millions of people and present in thousands of foods and beverages, should not be considered a healthy and safe alternative to sugar, in line with the current position of several health agencies,” the authors concluded.

Charlotte Debras, from Sorbonne Paris Nord University, and colleagues conducted a population-based prospective cohort study involving 103,388 participants of the NutriNet-Santé cohort to examine the associations between artificial sweeteners from all dietary sources and the risk for cardiovascular diseases.

An increased risk for cerebrovascular events was seen in association with aspartame intake (hazard ratio, 1.17; incidence rates, 186 and 151 per 100,000 person-years in higher consumers and non-consumers, respectively), while acesulfame potassium and sucralose were associated with an increased risk for coronary heart disease (hazard ratios, 1.40 [incidence rates, 167 and 164] and 1.31 [incidence rates, 271 and 161], respectively).