Do artificial sweets cause cancer?

That excess sugar is harmful to health is known, but replacing with artificial sweets is questionable. Recently, a large - scale study has highlighted the danger that the consumption of artificial sweets can be in the health and development of cancer, respectively.

French researchers examined the eating habits and health of more than 100,000 volunteers over a decade. Results of statistical analysis published last week in the magazine PLOS Medicine, suggests that people who consumed artificial sweets particularly asstephame and acesulfame-K, which are commonly used in nonalcohol beverages, were more at risk of cancer, more specifically breast cancers and obesity-related ones.

“This large-scale possible study suggests that artificial sweeters, used in many foods and drinks in France and worldwide, can represent a growing risk factor for cancer,” said Charlotte Debras, leading doctoral student and study author.
She noted that the data was in line with past experimental studies suggesting a possible cancerogenic effect on rodents.

The study revealed that people who consumed the most sweeter tend to be more often women, young people, smoking, being less physically active, and more likely to have diabetes.

The authors say their study should spark further investigations and debates.