Just ONE can of your favourite drink ‘raises risk of silent killer by 40%'
Millions of Brits drink sugar-free sweetened drinks under the belief they are healthier because they have zero calories.
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But Australian scientists at Monash University say it's wrong to think artificial sweeteners in drinks are a totally safe swap for sugar.
Their research looked specifically at sweetened soft drinks - both sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened - and found both types raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Artificially sweetened drinks, often marketed as 'diet,' carried the highest risk, with even people at a healthy weight facing a significant chance of developing diabetes from guzzling them.
In recent years, natural alternative sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit have become popular, replacing older artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin.
Previous research, published this year in the Journal of Applied Physiology earlier this year linked a common - and natural - sugar substitute called Erythritol (E968) to a higher risk of vascular health issues, including stroke.
The new study, published in Diabetes and Metabolism, did not differentiate between the different types of artificial sweeteners used.
Scientists followed more than 36,000 Australian adults aged 40–69 for nearly 14 years, monitoring how often they drank sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages and tracking new cases of type 2 diabetes.
They found that artificially sweetened soft drinks raised people's risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 38 per cent.
That's higher than the 23 per cent increased risk linked to sugary drinks.
Diabetes symptoms and the signs of all types of diabetes
Professor Barbora de Courten, one of the study authors, said the findings challenge the common belief that diet drinks are a safer option.
'Artificial sweeteners are often recommended as a healthier choice, but our results suggest they may carry their own health risks,' she explained.
Unlike sugary drinks, where the risk can mostly be linked to weight gain, the connection between diet drinks and diabetes remained strong even after adjusting for body weight.
This suggests artificially sweetened drinks might directly affect how the body handles sugar.
The researchers say these findings should influence public health policies, urging caution around all sweetened drinks - not just sugary ones.
'We support measures like sugary drink taxes, but our study shows we also need to pay attention to artificially sweetened options," Professor de Courten added.
"These are often marketed as better for you; yet may carry their own risks. Future policies should take a broader approach to reducing intake of all non-nutritive beverages.'
Low or no calorie sweeteners are used instead of sugar to sweeten some foods and drinks.
These substances are found in products such as drinks, desserts, ready meals and cakes.
The 3 feared risks of artificial sweeteners
They could increase risk of heart attack and stroke
Research published earlier this year suggests aspartame, a common sugar substitute, may negatively impact vascular health.
It was shown to trigger insulin spikes in mice, which can lead to atherosclerosis - plaque buildup in arteries - and increased inflammation.
This could potentially raise the risk of heart attack or stroke, researchers suggested.
Researchers fed mice daily doses of food containing 0.15 per cent aspartame for 12 weeks - the equivalent of consuming about three cans of diet soda each day for humans
Aspartame-fed mice developed larger and more fatty plaques in their arteries compared to mice who weren't given sweeteners.
When the research team analysed the mice's blood, they found a "surge" in insulin levels after aspartame entered their system.
They said aspartame - which is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar - seemed to "trick" the receptors into releasing more insulin.
The mice's elevated insulin levels appeared to fuel the growth of fatty plaques in their arteries, researchers added.
But scientists not involved in the study said you don't need to pour out your diet soda just yet - as we don't yet know whether the artificial sweetener has the same effect on humans.
They may increase sugary cravings
Some studies link artificial sweeteners to increased appetite and cravings for sugary food.
One - published in 2021 - found that sucralose made people feel hungrier.
Researcher Professor Kathleen Page said: 'Drinking artificially sweetened drinks may trick the brain into feeling hungry, which may in turn result in more calories being consumed.'
However, Gavin Partington, of the British Soft Drinks Association, said the study should be 'treated with caution' because it was based on a 'tiny' number of participants.
Other studies suggested that artificial sweeteners can alter people's gut microbiome and cause weight gain.
But it should be noted that lots of research supports that sugar substitutes can help with weight loss and maintenance.
They may be linked to type 2 diabetes
People who regularly consume artificial sweeteners may be more at risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those with a lower intake, a study published in 2023 showed.
The additives may stop the body from being able to regulate blood sugar levels healthily, researchers from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital suggested.
Prior studies have discovered that the sweeteners saccharin and sucralose can increase the blood sugar levels of healthy people.
Sweeteners approved for use in the UK include acesulfame K, aspartame, erythritol, saccharin, sorbitol, steviol glycosides, sucralose and xylitol.
Some squash drinks contain sweeteners such as sucralose and acesulfame K.
Scientific evidence has linked sugar consumption to a range of health conditions including obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Therefore, switching to products with sweeteners has been argued to help people who are overweight or obese lose weight.
NHS advice says sweeteners are safe and can help keep blood sugars low for diabetics and reduce the risk of tooth decay.
Type 2 diabetes affects about 1.3 million people in Australia, and over 4.7 million people in the UK - numbers that continue to rise each year.
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