Ayana Rao

How do artificial sweeteners relate to different varieties of cancer?

Started Aug. 15, 2023

Abstract or project description

As obesity rates continue to climb around the world, many turn to low sugar or sugar-free alternatives to avoid health complications. Diet and sugar-free foods and beverages utilize artificial sweeteners to achieve similar tastes while lacking the calories that table sugar has. However, concerns have been raised regarding the potential role artificial sweeteners may play in causing cancer, with numerous artificial sweeteners having preliminary data that suggests associations with cancers. In this literature review, we present the latest evidence for cancer-associated risk amongst the six current US-approved artificial sweeteners and identify gaps for future research using online databases like PubMed and Google Scholar.