Heart Attack Caused by This Healthy AlternativeYou have been told to eat this healthy alternative because… well, it’s healthier, heart-healthy, helps you lose weight, and overall just good.

Except in reality, it spikes insulin production, fuels inflammation, and destroys your arteries… all leading to a stroke or heart attack.

This is according to a new study in Cell Metabolism.

So stop eating this, please, and use the real stuff instead.

For years, artificial sweeteners have been promoted as guilt-free sugar substitutes, especially for those managing weight or diabetes.

But researchers have long been puzzled by one thing: studies show that people who consume artificial sweeteners aren’t always healthier than those who consume regular sugar.

Determined to uncover the reason, a team of scientists from Sweden, China, and the US studied the effects of aspartame—one of the most popular artificial sweeteners—on heart health.

They gave mice and monkeys aspartame in their drinking water for 12 weeks.

The dosage was equivalent to about three cans of diet soda per day in humans. Then, they carefully observed the effects.

Their findings were alarming:

Insulin Spikes: Animals that consumed aspartame had significantly higher insulin levels.

Inflamed Blood Vessels: These elevated insulin levels trigger widespread arterial inflammation.

Clogged Arteries: Fatty plaques began forming—a major warning sign of atherosclerosis, which increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Sticky Blood Vessels: A molecule called CX3CL1 became hyperactive, turning blood vessel linings into a magnet for immune cells, leading to more inflammation.

Overloaded Taste Receptors: Aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sugar. This overwhelms the body’s response, leading to excessive insulin production.

To confirm their findings, researchers severed nerve connections between the digestive system and the brain in some test mice. The insulin spikes stopped, proving that aspartame activates the parasympathetic nervous system to flood the body with insulin.

While more studies are needed to confirm these effects in humans, the evidence is concerning. If artificial sweeteners raise insulin and damage blood vessels, they may not be the “healthy” alternative we’ve been led to believe.

If you’re looking for a safer way to satisfy your sweet tooth, consider switching to natural alternatives like whole fruit, honey, or maple syrup.

But artificial sweeteners aren’t the only silent threat to your heart.

High blood pressure and cholesterol are the biggest risk factors for heart disease.

But lowering them naturally without drugs is easier than you think.

Hundreds of readers have done it using simple, natural steps.

Some dropped their blood pressure below 120/80 in as little as nine minutes using the simple blood pressure exercises found here…

Others normalized their cholesterol by cutting out this ONE single ingredient you didn’t even know you were consuming…