Saccharin and artery plaque buildup in mice on a high-fat diet
What it found
In mice fed a high-fat diet, saccharin in drinking water worsened artery plaque buildup over three months.
It also raised a blood compound linked to heart problems and damaged the gut lining.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Worse artery plaque in mice
Mice given saccharin developed more artery plaque than those that did not get it. The plaques were also less stable. This happened in animals eating a high-fat diet.
Cholesterol handling in mice
Saccharin made the gut absorb more cholesterol while the liver cleared less of it. This disrupted how the animals processed fats in their blood.
Higher TMAO levels in mice
Animals drinking saccharin had much higher levels of trimethylamine oxide in their blood. This is a compound often linked to heart problems.
Gut damage in mice
Saccharin reduced mucus-producing cells and harmed the gut structure in the animals. Their colons became leakier as a result.
Blood vessel harm in mice
The gut changes led to problems with the inner lining of blood vessels in the mice. This worked together with other effects to worsen plaque formation.
What the authors conclude
- They say this is the first study to flag that saccharin might encourage artery plaque buildup.
- The authors call for a fresh look at how food additives affect public heart health.
How it was done
Scientists already suspect non-nutritive sweeteners may be linked to heart disease risk. They wanted to find out whether saccharin specifically affects the buildup of plaque in arteries.
Researchers gave mice bred to develop artery disease drinking water with 0.1 mg/mL of saccharin for three months. The mice were also fed a high-fat diet. They then measured changes in their arteries, gut, and blood.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- These results come from specially bred mice on a high-fat diet.
- They cannot show what happens in people who eat normal diets.
- Scientists do not yet know if the same gut and artery changes occur in humans.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- China Agricultural University, China; Food Laboratory of Zhongyuan, China
The paper
- Title
- Saccharin Supplementation Aggravates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Atherosclerosis through Lipid Metabolism Disorder and Intestinal-Impairment-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction in ApoE -/- Mice
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Li Y, Sun Y, Wang X, et al (2025). Saccharin Supplementation Aggravates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Atherosclerosis through Lipid Metabolism Disorder and Intestinal-Impairment-Induced Endothelial Dysfunction in ApoE -/- Mice. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. doi:10.1021/acs.jafc.5c05681PubMed 40847258DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error