The China Mail - Consuming artificial sweeteners linked to cancer risk: study

USD -
AED 3.67302
AFN 68.25057
ALL 83.483156
AMD 381.28666
ANG 1.789699
AOA 917.000079
ARS 1331.517198
AUD 1.533989
AWG 1.8025
AZN 1.701624
BAM 1.678416
BBD 2.011225
BDT 121.225644
BGN 1.67595
BHD 0.377008
BIF 2970.239245
BMD 1
BND 1.281665
BOB 6.898002
BRL 5.460296
BSD 0.996082
BTN 87.455643
BWP 13.436429
BYN 3.278753
BYR 19600
BZD 2.000841
CAD 1.373185
CDF 2890.000319
CHF 0.80513
CLF 0.02484
CLP 974.449633
CNY 7.18315
CNH 7.18171
COP 4044
CRC 504.348796
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 94.626544
CZK 21.049902
DJF 177.384543
DKK 6.39439
DOP 60.621404
DZD 130.329582
EGP 48.458546
ERN 15
ETB 138.442414
EUR 0.85684
FJD 2.253799
FKP 0.751467
GBP 0.74803
GEL 2.697767
GGP 0.751467
GHS 10.509197
GIP 0.751467
GMD 72.501278
GNF 8640.311728
GTQ 7.643755
GYD 208.398948
HKD 7.849455
HNL 26.182027
HRK 6.455199
HTG 130.732754
HUF 341.080505
IDR 16297.85
ILS 3.43782
IMP 0.751467
INR 87.689003
IQD 1304.93922
IRR 42124.999693
ISK 122.350144
JEP 0.751467
JMD 159.191257
JOD 0.709001
JPY 147.258498
KES 128.901322
KGS 87.449956
KHR 3990.988091
KMF 422.49885
KPW 899.94784
KRW 1382.949742
KWD 0.30545
KYD 0.830112
KZT 535.217311
LAK 21550.46277
LBP 89250.942919
LKR 299.682905
LRD 199.72281
LSL 17.746006
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 5.421084
MAD 9.036657
MDL 16.918898
MGA 4406.722934
MKD 52.80344
MMK 2099.311056
MNT 3591.43546
MOP 8.053619
MRU 39.734309
MUR 45.350304
MVR 15.405187
MWK 1727.246592
MXN 18.59456
MYR 4.228506
MZN 63.960054
NAD 17.746006
NGN 1525.150182
NIO 36.657011
NOK 10.16617
NPR 139.928686
NZD 1.679882
OMR 0.384488
PAB 0.996082
PEN 3.542113
PGK 4.136416
PHP 57.210499
PKR 282.843731
PLN 3.660896
PYG 7460.963815
QAR 3.631534
RON 4.347702
RSD 100.350056
RUB 80.000386
RWF 1440.873964
SAR 3.752576
SBD 8.217066
SCR 14.635046
SDG 600.507518
SEK 9.604135
SGD 1.283585
SHP 0.785843
SLE 23.103011
SLL 20969.503947
SOS 569.31256
SRD 37.035999
STD 20697.981008
STN 21.025441
SVC 8.715614
SYP 13001.372255
SZL 17.742745
THB 32.299026
TJS 9.31359
TMT 3.51
TND 2.935899
TOP 2.342099
TRY 40.682075
TTD 6.75297
TWD 29.816023
TZS 2472.503383
UAH 41.441389
UGX 3556.272608
UYU 39.974254
UZS 12476.132039
VES 128.747751
VND 26215
VUV 119.124121
WST 2.771506
XAF 562.925172
XAG 0.026298
XAU 0.000296
XCD 2.70255
XCG 1.795214
XDR 0.700098
XOF 562.925172
XPF 102.345818
YER 240.449806
ZAR 17.74998
ZMK 9001.199098
ZMW 22.935654
ZWL 321.999592
  • SCU

    0.0000

    12.72

    0%

  • JRI

    0.0800

    13.34

    +0.6%

  • BCE

    -0.3100

    23.25

    -1.33%

  • NGG

    0.0200

    72.3

    +0.03%

  • CMSD

    0.0300

    23.54

    +0.13%

  • BCC

    -3.8500

    82.92

    -4.64%

  • GSK

    -0.5700

    36.75

    -1.55%

  • RBGPF

    1.0800

    76

    +1.42%

  • RIO

    0.3900

    60.09

    +0.65%

  • CMSC

    -0.1200

    22.95

    -0.52%

  • SCS

    0.0300

    15.99

    +0.19%

  • RYCEF

    0.1700

    14.5

    +1.17%

  • VOD

    0.2000

    11.3

    +1.77%

  • BTI

    0.5600

    56.4

    +0.99%

  • AZN

    -0.8800

    73.6

    -1.2%

  • RELX

    -1.7800

    48.81

    -3.65%

  • BP

    0.2800

    33.88

    +0.83%

Consuming artificial sweeteners linked to cancer risk: study
Consuming artificial sweeteners linked to cancer risk: study

Consuming artificial sweeteners linked to cancer risk: study

Consuming artificial sweetener could increase the risk of developing cancer, a large-scale study suggested Thursday, but experts not involved in the research said it was not enough proof to consider changing current health advice.

Text size:

Sweeteners are consumed by millions every day in products like diet soda, partly as a way to avoid weight gain from sugar -- but how healthy these substitutes are themselves has long been a matter of controversy.

To assess the cancer risk of sweeteners, researchers analysed the data of more than 100,000 people in France who self-reported their diet, lifestyle and medical history in intervals between 2009-2021 as part of the NutriNet-Sante study.

They then compared consumption to the rate of cancer, while adjusting for other variables such as smoking, poor diet, age and physical activity.

The participants who consumed the largest amount of sweeteners, "beyond the median amount, had an increased cancer risk of 13 percent compared to non-consumers," Mathilde Touvier, research director at France's INSERM institute and the study's supervisor, told AFP.

The study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, said that a higher cancer risk was particularly seen with sweeteners aspartame and acesulfame potassium -- both used in many soft drinks including Coke Zero.

Out of the 103,000 participants, 79 percent were women and 37 percent consumed artificial sweeteners.

Soft drinks accounted for more than half of the artificial sweeteners consumed, while table-top sweeteners represented 29 percent.

The study found that "higher risks were observed for breast cancer and obesity-related cancers".

Touvier said "we cannot totally exclude biases linked to the lifestyle of consumers", calling for further research to confirm the study's results.

The US National Cancer Institute and Cancer Research UK both say that sweeteners do not cause cancer, and they have been authorised for use by the European Food Safety Authority.

- 'Not proof' -

"The relationship between artificial sweetener consumption and cancer risk is a controversial one, going back to the 1970s when (sweetener) cyclamate was banned for being linked to bladder cancer in rats -- although this was never shown to be the case in humans," said James Brown, a biomedical scientist at Britain's Aston University.

Brown, who was not involved in the study, told AFP that it was "reasonably well-designed" and had an "impressive" sample size.

But he added he did not "believe the current study provides strong enough evidence" for Britain's National Health Service to "change its advice just yet".

Michael Jones of The Institute of Cancer Research, London said that the link reported in the study "does not imply causation" and was "not proof that artificial sweeteners cause cancer".

He said the findings could suggest that "cancer risk may be raised in the type of person who uses artificial sweetener rather than the sweetener itself."

Thursday's findings also do not mean consumers should rush back to sugary drinks -- a 2019 NutriNet-Sante study found that they were also linked to a higher risk of several cancer types.

Brown said that not all sweeteners were equal, with some such as stevia showing health benefits.

Artificial sweeteners are "still likely a useful tool that can help reduce weight gain when replacing sugar -- if the right sweetener is used," he said.

G.Tsang--ThChM