Lou Portero

Urban Health Today

<p>A new analysis from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, published in <a href="https://doaj.org/article/fb5c798c9cd9499ca770c1a97cc79c2f">Current Developments in Nutrition</a>, has found associations between certain artificial sweeteners and type 2 diabetes risk. The research, presented at NUTRITION 2025, followed 4,654 adults for 30 years starting when they were an average age of 24.9 years in 1985-86.<p>The study found that participants consuming the most diet beverages had more than double the diabetes risk compared to those consuming the least (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.66&ndash;3.18). Similarly, those with the highest saccharin intake showed a 110% higher diabetes risk (HR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.37&ndash;3.21). However, total artificial sweetener consumption, aspartame, and sucralose showed no significant associations with diabetes development.</p><p>Over the 30-year follow-up period, 691 participants developed diabetes. The researchers used rigorous methodology, assessing dietary intake at baseline, year 7, and year 20, and defining diabetes through multiple criteria, including fasting glucose levels, oral glucose tolerance tests, hemoglobin A1C, or medication use. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, education, energy intake, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, diet quality, and family history of diabetes.</p><p>The findings challenge common assumptions about artificial sweeteners as safe sugar alternatives. Study author Lyn Steffen recommended &ldquo;limiting the use of any sweetener&rdquo; and suggested choosing &ldquo;unsweetened water, coffee, tea, milk, or a small amount of 100% fruit juice&rdquo; for beverages.</p><p>This research adds to growing evidence questioning artificial sweetener safety, with recent studies linking various sweeteners to cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. The differential effects between sweeteners suggest distinct metabolic pathways, with potential mechanisms including gut microbiota disruption and interference with glucose metabolism.</p><p>While the observational design cannot establish causation, the 30-year follow-up provides valuable long-term data. The researchers noted that adjusting for waist circumference slightly reduced the associations, suggesting body weight changes may partially mediate the relationship between artificial sweeteners and diabetes risk.</p><p>The evidence increasingly supports choosing naturally unsweetened beverages and minimizing artificial sweetener consumption for optimal metabolic health, particularly for diabetes prevention.</p></p>
<div class="post-references"><h3>References</h3><div class="flex-1 flex flex-col gap-3 px-4 max-w-3xl mx-auto w-full pt-1">
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<li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Jia H, Steffen LM, Yi SY, Zhou X, Steffen B, Terry JG, Lusczek ER, Shikany JM, Van Horn L, Jacobs DR. Association Between Artificial Sweetener Consumption and Risk of Incident Diabetes: The CARDIA study. Current Developments in Nutrition. 2025;9:107034. doi:10.1016/j.cdnut.2025.107034</li>
<li class="whitespace-normal break-words">Larkin M. Diet Drinks, Saccharin Tied to Increased Diabetes Risk. Medscape Medical News. June 5, 2025. Available at: <a class="underline" href="https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/diet-drinks-saccharin-tied-increased-diabetes-risk-2025a1000f5o">https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/diet-drinks-saccharin-tied-increased-diabetes-risk-2025a1000f5o</a></li>
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The study found that participants consuming the most diet beverages had more than double the diabetes risk.