Once again we return to Examine.com and a summary of a recent meta-analysis looking at the association between artificial sweeteners and the risk of cardiovascular events. This should be another no-brainer as far as common sense goes. Let’s see what they found.
Quick Summary
“In this meta-analysis of 12 prospective cohort studies in 1,224,560 men and women, researchers looked at the intake of artificial sweeteners and the association with higher risks of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, and stroke.”
When looking at the real sciences of biology, physiology and biochemistry, this is very simple and very logical. The only compounds that are non-toxic and beneficial to humans are the compounds that we actually use and store in our tissues, and only in that exact bioactive form, as in the bonding and chelation of that compound, which usually include proteins/amino acids. Any other form of a compound that you cannot find in an animal or human will therefore be toxic to the human body and has to be broken down and converted into something it can either use or store in tissues for later use. This process of breaking down and converting is very limited and usually there is more left of the toxic compound than what can be converted and used, which means a lot of added toxicity and damage to the body. And adding to that, the process of breaking down and converting is toxic in itself as it produces a lot of waste products.
This is why any compound or nutrient from an animal is superior and does not contribute to any toxic load — they are the only natural source of beneficial compounds for us humans, as animals store compounds and nutrients in the same way as we do.
From this, logic dictates that anything plant-based that is chemically different to how we use and store nutrients and compounds, anything man-made, anything artificial and synthetic made in a lab that does not come from an animal-source is toxic to humans, even if we can break down and neutralize a bit of it. So, as artificial sweeteners do not exist in nature, and it’s not an essential part of any of our biological processes, nor is it present in any animal tissues, it is not natural and therefore toxic. And being toxic, it will do damage to our body. Extremely simple.
Key study details
“The studies were conducted in the United States (8 studies) and Europe (4 studies). The average follow-up time was 3 to 22 years. A dose of artificial sweeteners was defined as a 12-ounce serving in the U.S. studies and an 11.2-ounce serving in the European studies.”
Yes, the only problem here is that most studies focus solely on artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) and do not account for all the hidden sweeteners in processed food items, especially protein powders, green powders, other similar supplements, bread, condiments, sweets, bakery goods, etcetera. Thus, they only tracked beverages, hence the 12-ounce and the 11.2-ounce servings mentioned.
“Consuming one or more doses of artificial sweeteners per day was associated with a 14% higher risk of all-cause mortality, 29% higher risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, and 15% higher risk of stroke than consuming the minimal (less than 1 dose per month) amount. However, there were no differences between minimal intake and moderate intake (approximately 1–6 doses per week in most of the studies).
The risk of bias was low in all of the studies.”
That differences were not significant between low and moderate intake is because most people will be able to tolerate a certain amount as long as they can detoxify. And people who only consume low to moderate amounts when it comes to sweetened beverages are likely to have better and healthier lifestyles than those who rely on them pretty much daily. So, people who consume a lot of these beverages are likely less active and more sloppy when it comes to other food choices as well. Thus, their lifestyle includes more factors that contribute to increased cardiovascular risk.
Examine.com’s take
“The lack of increase in risk with a moderate intake of artificial sweeteners suggests that occasional use is likely safe. More frequent consumption of artificial sweeteners may also reflect other lifestyle factors that contribute to cardiovascular risk.
This Study Summary was published on February 26, 2025.”
No, not safe, far from it. Any kind of artificial sweetener is toxic. It’s all about the accumulated toxic load and your ability to detoxify, which is very dependent on your nutritional status and the amount of time you are in a fasted state when you sleep. I’ve covered this many times in previous articles.
As for lifestyle factors, I mentioned that above. The more trash you consume, as in plant-based-, processed- and artificial crap, the more likely it is that everything else you do during the day is far from optimal for you health, and especially your cardiovascular health.
If you consume a lot of artificial sweetened beverages, it is likely that you also consume other foods with artificial sweeteners, adding to the toxic load outside of the parameters for these studies. Also, it is likely that you believe that plant-based edibles are good for you, and that the life-giving saturated fats and cholesterol is bad. Avoiding animal-based foods, especially animal fats, is the fastest way to destroy your health, and especially your cardiovascular health. So, while these artificial sweeteners are incredibly toxic and bad for you, they’re only a tiny fish within a very large pond.
Still, it is good that they at least get some exposure, which unfortunately, usually is used as a shield to cover the real offenders, as in everything plant-based and processed.
If you need help with any kind of health problems or transitioning from your current way of eating to our natural species-appropriate, species-specific way of eating, I’m available for both coaching and consultation.
Coaching and Consultation
And if you found the article and my insights helpful and enjoy my daily free information, please consider donating to help pay the webhosting bills and keep the site running. And if you’re interested in discussing and sharing information with likeminded people, consider joining our uncensored community at Ungovernable.se. Thank you!
