A new study has found that using artificial sweeteners like aspartame for a long time might harm your heart and brain.
This research was done in mice by scientists at CIC biomaGUNE and Biogipuzkoa HRI and was published in the journal Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy.
Aspartame is a common sweetener found in diet drinks, sugar-free gum, candy, baked goods, and many other products. It is much sweeter than regular sugar—about 200 times sweeter—so only a small amount is needed.
This makes it popular for people trying to lose weight or reduce their sugar intake. But while it may help cut calories, researchers have become more concerned about its long-term health effects.
In this new study, mice were given small doses of aspartame every day for one year. The dose was equal to one-sixth of the maximum amount that health agencies like the World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration say is safe for humans.
That’s about 7 milligrams per kilogram of body weight each day—much lower than the safe limit of 50 mg/kg per day.
The results showed that the mice who consumed aspartame had 20% less body fat, suggesting it might help with weight loss. However, there was a cost. These mice also showed signs of heart problems, including mild heart enlargement, known as cardiac hypertrophy. On top of that, their memory and thinking abilities were worse than normal.
The researchers believe that while aspartame may reduce fat and help control weight, it might also harm important organs over time. They warned that even low levels of aspartame—levels you could easily reach by eating everyday sugar-free products—could have unwanted effects on your heart and brain.
What makes this study stand out is how much data was collected. The scientists used a wide range of tools to measure changes in the mice.
They used MRI and PET scans to study organ function, checked brain and liver chemistry, performed memory tests, and monitored food intake and body temperature. All this data helped them better understand how aspartame affects the body over time.
This is the first study to look at the effects of aspartame over such a long period. It fills a major gap in what we know about the safety of artificial sweeteners. Most previous studies looked only at short-term effects or used higher doses.
The researchers say their work is part of a bigger project exploring how different nutrients and sweeteners affect health. Their goal is to learn how substances like sugar and sweeteners change how organs work, both in healthy people and those with diseases.
In conclusion, this study suggests that long-term use of aspartame—even at low doses—could harm the heart and brain. While artificial sweeteners are often used to help people lose weight, this research shows that they might also carry hidden risks. More studies will be needed, but for now, it’s a reminder that “sugar-free” does not always mean risk-free.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that vitamin K helps cut heart disease risk by a third, and a year of exercise reversed worrisome heart failure.
For more health information, please see recent studies about supplements that could help prevent heart disease, stroke, and results showing this food ingredient may strongly increase heart disease death risk.
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