New research: Are the sugar-free drinks we drink every day actually "attacking" our blood vessels?

In today's society where health awareness is increasing, sugar substitutes have become the first choice for many health-conscious people. Aspartame, one of the most common sugar substitutes on the market, is popular because it contains almost no calories. However, in recent years, there have been constant controversies about the health of aspartame, especially its association with metabolic diseases.

Recently, a research team from Qilu Hospital of Shandong University and Karolinska Institutet has conducted in-depth research on the effects of aspartame on atherosclerosis, aiming to reveal the potential health risks behind this widely used sugar substitute.

Research process and findings

In order to study the relationship between aspartame and atherosclerosis, the researchers chose mice with APOE (apolipoprotein E, which is mainly synthesized in the liver and brain tissue and participates in the conversion and metabolism of lipoproteins) gene deletion as an experimental model. Due to the lack of APOE gene, these mice will quickly develop atherosclerosis after being fed a high-fat diet, making them an ideal model for studying this disease.

In the experiment, the researchers divided the mice into different groups and added different concentrations of aspartame (0.05%, 0.1%, and 0.15%) to their drinking water to simulate the effects of different intakes. The control group of mice drank water without aspartame. The feeding lasted for 12 weeks, during which the physiological indicators of the mice were closely monitored.

It is worth noting that according to relevant documents, the maximum amount of aspartame used in commercial beverages is 0.6 g/kg, and the acceptable daily intake for humans is 40 mg/kg body weight. In comparison, the dose given to mice in the experiment was actually excessive.

In addition, the researchers also surgically removed the bilateral vagus nerves of mice (the longest and most widely distributed pair of cranial nerves in the human body) to explore the role of the vagus nerve in aspartame-induced insulin secretion. At the same time, they analyzed the molecular changes of aortic endothelial cells after insulin stimulation, especially the expression of adhesion factors, to reveal the specific mechanism by which aspartame affects atherosclerosis.

The results showed that even low doses of aspartame significantly increased atherosclerosis in mice, a surprising finding given that sugar substitutes are widely considered healthy alternatives.

Further analysis showed that aspartame induced insulin secretion by activating the vagus nerve, which in turn promoted endothelial CX3CL1-macrophage CX3CR1 signaling. This signaling pathway led to accelerated development of endothelial inflammation and atherosclerosis. When the researchers knocked out the Cxcl1 gene in mouse macrophages and monocytes, aspartame-induced atherosclerosis symptoms were significantly alleviated, confirming the key role of the CX3CL1-CX3CR1 pathway in this process.

Outlook and Suggestions

As a representative of the sugar substitute industry, the risk of aspartame accelerating atherosclerosis cannot be ignored. But this does not mean that we should completely reject sugar substitutes. After all, for people with special needs such as diabetics and dieters, sugar substitutes are still an indispensable substitute.

The study on aspartame and atherosclerosis provides us with a new perspective on the issue of sugar substitutes. It reminds us that while enjoying sweetness, we should also pay attention to the health concerns behind it and make more reasonable and healthier choices. Therefore, we should be more rational, consume sugar substitutes in moderation, and not be overly dependent; pay attention to physical health and conduct regular cardiovascular examinations; pursue diversity and balance in diet, and choose natural sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup in moderation to add flavor to life; at the same time, improve the understanding of food ingredients, so that every choice becomes a protection for health. Let us find the perfect balance between sweetness and health.

References:

Weijie Wu, et al. Sweetener aspartame aggravates atherosclerosis through insulin-triggered inflammation, Cell Metabolism (2025). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2025.01.006