Emerging evidence from the landmark Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study is raising serious questions about the long-term safety of certain artificial sweeteners and diet beverages. Presented at NUTRITION 2025, this research followed 4,654 adults for three decades to understand how sweetener choices affect diabetes risk—offering new insights for individuals and public health organizations alike.

Chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity remain the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Despite growing awareness, rates continue to rise, straining health systems, communities, and businesses. No single organization, company, or sector can solve this challenge alone—collaboration is our strongest tool for meaningful change.

Chronic Diseases were in the news last year at this time prompting me to author a piece found in these pages [1]. I find that chronic diseases are once again in the news, but the media aren’t covering the body of knowledge built up over many years by public health and medical professionals that show us where there exist multiple opportunities to make a difference in the key arena of prevention. We continue to live in a time when our knowledge and our actions don’t always match up. In this case, the knowledge of the value of preventing disease, disability, complications and sequalae far surpasses our investment in public education, provider incentives and especially public health infrastructure.