Goljat Martyna, Niewiadomski Paweł, Lazarek Maciej, Flegiel Ewelina, Graczykowska Karolina, Denkiewicz Michał, Rozmarynowicz Ewa, Walczak Magdalena, Cybulska Marta, Husejko Jakub, Kędziora-Kornatowska Kornelia. The impact of artificial sweeteners on the risk and course of large intestinal adenocarcinoma in the elderly. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2019;9(9):992-1008. eISNN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3462971 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/7480 The journal has had 5 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. § 8. 2) and § 12. 1. 2) 22.02.2019. © The Authors 2019; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author (s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial license Share alike. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 25.08.2019. Revised: 31.08.2019. Accepted: 22.09.2019. The impact of artificial sweeteners on the risk and course of large intestinal adenocarcinoma in the elderly Martyna Goljat1, Paweł Niewiadomski1, Maciej Lazarek1, Ewelina Flegiel1, Karolina Graczykowska1, Michał Denkiewicz1, Ewa Rozmarynowicz1, Magdalena Walczak1, Marta Cybulska1, Jakub Husejko1, Kornelia Kędziora-Kornatowska1 1. Faculty of Health Sciences, Department and Clinic of Geriatrics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz Abstract Background: There are many confirmed risk factors for development of the colorectal cancer, which is one of the most common malignant tumor among both females and males. Moreover, it is a cause of significant percentage of all cancer-related deaths. Even with treatment, the 5-year survival rate is very low. We concentrate on impact of artificial sweeteners on risk and course of adenocarcinoma of colon. Results: In recent years, consumption of low-calorie and calorie-free sweeteners (LCS) has increased. It may be caused by campaigns promoting obesity fighting, low calorie drinks, diets, as well as by increase of social awareness regarding negative health associations associated with high sugar consumption. We can divide LCS into two main groups: semi-synthetic and synthetic sweeteners. Substances from the first group are homogeneous, however those from the second group have different physical and chemical properties, due to different structure. LCS quickly gained a lot of interest and scientists are still questioning their safety, especially during prolonged use. Many studies have shown no link between LCS and carcinogenesis, however there are few studies concerning artificial sweeteners and colon cancer connection. Discussion: It is important to remember that there are many dietary habits that are connected to development of colorectal adenocarcinoma. It is difficult to assess the effect of sweeteners separately. Conclusions: The potential connection between LCS and development of colorectal cancer is not fully examined. Further studies of this correlation should be conducted. Key words: cancer; adenocarcinoma; colon; rectum; colorectal cancer; sweeteners; diet