Aspartame and atherosclerosis in a mouse model
What it found
In a mouse model, aspartame sped up atherosclerosis through a nerve and insulin dependent pathway.
The work was done in animals, not people.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Atherosclerosis in mice
In hyperlipidemic mice, aspartame accelerated atherosclerosis. The effect worked through a vagal-mediated, insulin-dependent mechanism.
What the authors conclude
“aspartame accelerates atherosclerosis via a vagal-mediated insulin-dependent mechanism in a hyperlipidemic mouse model”
Also in their conclusions
- They report that aspartame accelerates atherosclerosis via a vagal-mediated insulin-dependent mechanism in a hyperlipidemic mouse model.
How it was done
Earlier population studies have linked aspartame and other low-calorie sweeteners to higher cardiovascular risk, even though pre-clinical and clinical tests had not raised such concerns.
The authors studied a hyperlipidemic mouse model to see how aspartame affects atherosclerosis.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These are animal results. They can't show what happens in people.
- The study used a hyperlipidemic mouse model, so the findings may not apply to other animals or to humans.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of interests All authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA; University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA
The paper
- Title
- Does sweet turn sour? How aspartame aggravates atherosclerosis in a preclinical model
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Pepino MY, Amengual J (2025). Does sweet turn sour? How aspartame aggravates atherosclerosis in a preclinical model. Cell metabolism. doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2025.04.003PubMed 40334641DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error