Artificial sweetnerers and cancer

 

5.4. Artificial Sweeteners and Cancer

The relationship between the consumption of artificial sweeteners and the occurrence of cancer according to meta-analyses is inconsistent. A possible link between NNSs use and carcinogenesis was initially investigated in animal models. In the 1970s, the FDA banned cyclamate based on scientific data indicating that high doses of cyclamate and saccharin given to rodents increased the risk of developing bladder cancer [129]. The Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) conducted an independent risk assessment of aspartame consumption and cancer in June 2023. The JECFA concluded that the ingestion of aspartame is not associated with adverse effects based on existing animal and human studies; therefore, the committee reaffirmed their recommendations on acceptable daily intake [130]. No other artificial sweeteners were identified as potential cancerous triggers in animal studies.

Another cohort study conducted in France, called the NutriNet-Santé Study, found that the consumption of great amounts of artificial sweeteners may result in carcinogenesis more often compared to controls [80]. They also reported that adults who consumed acesulfame-k had a slightly higher risk of cancer overall than those who did not consume acesulfame-k [80]. Because different studies have implied that artificial sweeteners are associated with obesity, and obesity is subsequently associated with cancer, the NutriNet-Santé investigators also assessed the risk of associations between artificial sweetener intake and obesity-related cancers as a group. A slightly higher risk of obesity-related cancers was found in consumers of higher amounts of all artificial sweeteners compared to the risk of nonconsumers. Nevertheless, another study from Australia found no association between artificially sweetened beverage intake and the risk of obesity-related cancers [131].

Studies in specific population groups have also been inconsistent. A study found that the intake of artificially sweetened beverages was associated with an increased risk of kidney cancer in a US cohort of postmenopausal women [132], but no association was found in a European cohort of healthy adults [133]. An “umbrella review” (i.e., a review of systematic reviews or meta-analyses) found a weak association between intake of artificially sweetened beverages and any type of cancer, and especially with colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and cancer mortality [134,135].

No studies have associated the consumption of sucralose, neotame, and advantame with the future development of cancer [136].

The inconsistency in the studies searching for causality in the association between artificial sweeteners and cancer is mainly due to the study design limitations. For example, individuals examined in various studies differ in significant parameters, including the quality and quantity of artificial sweeteners’ consumption. Therefore, seeking evidence for a causal relationship necessitates the evaluation of evidence from multiple harmoniously designed studies and the description of a plausible underlying pathophysiological mechanism to account for the connection [137].

Inversely, there is a possibility that natural sweeteners may be used as therapeutic agents for cancer. Thus, Khaybullin et al. [138] reported in 2014 that isosteviol triazole conjugates could be used for cancer therapy. The authors reported that the conjugates reduced the proliferation of cancer cell lines. The above finding is interesting and needs to be evaluated by further studies.

Ref

Nutrients. 2024 Sep 19;16(18):3162. doi: 10.3390/nu16183162

Chronic Use of Artificial Sweeteners: Pros and Cons

Lydia Kossiva 1, Kostas Kakleas 2, Foteini Christodouli 1, Alexandra Soldatou 1, Spyridon Karanasios 1, Kyriaki Karavanaki 1,*

Editor: Xiaohua Pan