Aspartame sweetener reduces body fat, but could harm heart and brain
A study by CIC biomaGUNE and Biogipuzkoa HRI conducted on mice has found that the prolonged intake of sweeteners may exert harmful effects on the function of various organs. Artificial sweeteners are widely used to reduce the intake of sugar and control body weight. Although these substances were initially thought to be beneficial to health, in recent years there has been growing concern that they may have adverse effects on the metabolism of cells and organs in the long term.
One of the most ubiquitous sweeteners, aspartame, is widely used in sweets, diet soft drinks, bakery products, chewing gum, etc. It produces a sweet taste 200 times greater than sucrose, so its caloric value is relatively low. Numerous studies have explored the effects of aspartame; however, until now, its long-term metabolic and behavioural effects have not been known.
A study conducted by the researcher Irati Aiestaran-Zelaia, supervised by the Ikerbasque Research Professors Jesús Ruiz-Cabello of CIC biomaGUNE and Ian J. Holt of Biogipuzkoa HRI, has assessed the effects of long-term aspartame consumption in mice, by exposing them for one year to a dose equivalent to one-sixth of the maximum recommended daily intake for humans.
