Weizmann Institute of Science researchers in Israel led a new study about the safety of artificial sweeteners used in sodas and low-fat deserts as a sugar substitute. They collaborated with researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland to give 120 people one of four sweeteners and a placebo up to three times a week for two weeks at doses lower than recommended, MailOnline reported.
Those given aspartame and stevia, which are usually added in sodas and juices, had an altered gut microbiome. Meanwhile, those who received saccharin and sucralose usually used in baking as sugar substitutes were less able to absorb sugar. Previous studies have also linked artificial sweeteners to a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Artificial Sweeteners Should Not Be Assumed Safe
Professor Eran Elinav, a professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science, told The Times of Israel that artificial sweeteners should no longer be generally assumed safe after his peer-reviewed research suggests these sugar substitutes may increase sugar levels.
In their study, titled "Personalized Microbiome-Driven Effects of Non-nutritive Sweeteners on Human Glucose Tolerance" published in the journal Cell, researchers reported that artificial sweeteners may impair glucose responses by altering the gut microbiome.
This long-awaited research on the effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on humans rang bells that a previous study on rodents also pointed out. Researchers argued that sugar substitutes were introduced to satisfy the sweet tooth with something that causes less harm to blood sugar levels. However, it may have directly contributed to the epidemic that it should be fighting.
Elinav said that the findings strongly challenge the common assumption that artificial sweeteners are harmless and provide the hit of sweetness without any health cost. They found that these sweeteners mediate changes in people in a highly personalized manner that stems from the unique gut microbe populations of people.
"We found that the gut microbe composition and function changes in response to consumption of all four sweetness, meaning that they are not inert to the human body," Elinav told the news outlet.
These changes were not detected in other volunteers who consumed a placebo and those who did not consume artificial sweeteners. Elinav emphasized that they should not be generally assumed to be safe until proven otherwise.
What Other Experts Say
According to WebMD, several experts also weighed in on the results of the study. Registered dietitian Duane Mellor, Ph.D., a senior teaching fellow at Aston University in the UK, said that the study failed to show the long-term link between sugar substitutes and higher blood sugar levels.
On the other hand, the study suggested that those who do not typically consume sweeteners may not be able to tolerate six packets of either saccharin or sucralose mixed with glucose per day.
Mellor added that the study also did not provide any information on how people typically consume artificial sweeteners and on how people with type 1 or 2 diabetes respond to these products. She noted that sugar substitutes may be a better option for some people to help them reduce the amount of added sugar in foods and drinks to reduce their sugar intake.
But Kevin McConway, Ph.D. from the Open University in the U.K. also noted that the study does not say that these sweeteners are worse than sugar. He pointed out that more research is needed to exactly know what health consequences could be consuming artificial sweeteners bring.
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