Many people add artificial sweeteners to their tea and coffee thinking that it is healthier than adding sugar, but results from a recent study are suggestive of a direct link between consumption of artificial sweeteners and increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Artificial sweeteners are not only found in the tablet or granular form that we add to drinks ourselves, but also in thousands of food and drink products across the world, such as low calorie fizzy drinks and ready meals.
This study found that two artificial sweeteners, sucralose and acesulfame potassium were particularly associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, whilst a third, aspartame, was associated with an increased risk of stroke.
The World Health Organization and the European Food Safety Authority, together with other food safety organisations, are currently undertaking reviews of artificial sweeteners and this research (click here to read the article) will likely provide useful contributory information.