Dr Xand: Research suggests Aspirin could help with stroke
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A stroke is caused by a clot in the arteries – the vessels that transport blood to tissues and organs. Sometimes these form because cholesterol-filled plaque inside the vessels has broken open. In other instances, however, a blood clot forms in a narrowed section of the artery, causing an instant blockage. The condition has many established causes, but studies linking artificial sweeteners to stroke have yielded mixed results.
Now, a new study of French adults has exposed a “potential direct association” between higher artificial sweetener intake and increased cardiovascular risk, including heart attack and stroke, Medical Xpress has reported.
The food additive is used by millions as a low-calorie alternative to sugar, but growing evidence has raised questions about its effects on health.
The Mayo Clinic states that it is “widely used” in products including:
- Soft drinks
- Baked goods
- Canned foods
- Dairy products
Several studies to date have linked artificial sweeteners and artificially sweetened beverages to weight gain, high blood pressure and inflammation.
There have been mixed findings, however, around the link between artificial sweeteners and cardiovascular disease.
The latest study, published in BMJ, probed this link by assessing the dietary intake of artificial sweeteners through data for 103,3888 participants enrolled in the French NutriNet-Santé study.
Researchers examined repeated 24-hour dietary records as well as other potentially influential lifestyle factors.
Sweeteners from dietary sources included in the analysis were:
- Tabletop sweeteners
- Dairy products
- Beverages
Various types of sweeteners were also assessed, including
- Aspartame
- Acesulfame potassium
- Sucralose
A total 37 percent of participants consumed artificial sweeteners, with an average intake of approximately 42.46 mg/day.
This equates roughly to an individual packet of tabletop sweetener or 100 ml of diet soda.
More than 1,500 cardiovascular events were recorded during the average follow-up period of nine years.
A breakdown of the data revealed that aspartame intake was associated with increased cerebrovascular events, while acesulfame potassium and sucralose were linked with an increased risk of coronary heart disease risk.
Due to the observational nature of the analysis, it was unable to confirm any causal relationship between artificial sweeteners and cardiovascular disease.
In previous talks with express.co.uk, Professor Mark Whitely, a leading consultant in venous surgery and founder of the Whiteley Clinic explained despite existing disparities across studies, caution should be practised when taking artificial sweeteners.
The expert cited a 2007 publication, which found artificial sweeteners caused no obvious changes in blood constituents over and above what would be expected after a normal meal.
That same year, however, another study performed on mice given high doses of aspartame for two months, discovered that the protein that makes blood clots was found to be more complex and dense than normal.
Professor Whiteley noted: “As with all such research, this can be taken to suggest that aspartame taken regularly may have a negative effect on a breakdown of blood clots, increasing the risk of clots in the circulation.
“Although the association between artificially sweetened beverages and stroke or coronary artery disease has been published more than once in the medical literature, it is very difficult to prove that the drinks are the cause of the observed heart and brain events.”
Fortunately, there is a widely held belief among the scientific community that healthy habits can significantly lower the risk of stroke.
High blood pressure, which contributes to around half of all heart attacks and strokes in the UK, can be managed with a combination of exercise and a healthy diet.
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