What effect do artificial sweeteners have on our gut health?

We know that zero calorie drinks have been very popular lately due to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendation to keep added sugars below 36 grams for adult males and 25 grams for adult females. Sweetened beverages such as coke highly contribute to this amount by boasting 39 grams in a single 12 fl oz. can of coke, Dr. Nitin Kumar of the Bariatric Endoscopy Institute says, “For someone trying to control blood sugar and/or lose weight, sweeteners can have a role as a sugar replacement”. With obesity on the rise in the United States lower calorie alternatives are gaining in popularity and artificial sweeteners have been a popular choice to reduce intake of added sugars and calories without sacrificing the sweet taste that we all crave. Is there enough research to show that artificial sweeteners don’t have any long-term effects?

Author: My100cans
License: Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)
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A systematic review of epidemiological data has suggested that there is a link between artificially sweetened beverage consumption and weight gain in children. This is tied together with an additional review that shows artificial sweeteners are associated with greater consumption of calories despite these compounds not contributing any calories to the diet. (2)

If the main drivers of weight gain are not caused by excessive calories from the sweetened beverage then what could be leading the greater consumption of calories? An additional study looked towards the gut for a solution. They found a link between artificial sweeteners and alteration in the gut microbiome. A healthy gut microbiome is paramount to nutrient absorption. They found that the consumption of non-caloric artificial sweeteners drives the development of a dysfunction in glucose metabolism called glucose intolerance. Dysfunctional glucose metabolism drives the development of many metabolic diseases such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome and can cause weight gain.

Equal saccharin artificial sweetener ~ Merisant Company manufacturer of sugar substitutes Author: Jphill19 License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Equal_Saccharin_Sweetner.jpg

To study the effects of artificial sweeteners, a study examined the artificial sweetener saccharin which is 300-400 times sweeter than table sugar. In this study, 10-week-old mice were given saccharin (0.1 mg/ml) corresponding to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) in humans (5 mg/kg body weight) was added to their water while using pure glucose as a control. The results showed impaired glucose tolerance starting at 5 weeks despite having the same food and liquid consumption, oxygen consumption, and energy expenditure. They also transferred the gut biome of saccharin drinking mice into water drinking mice and upon receiving the changed microbiota, these mice displayed reduced glucose tolerance.

These finding prove that artificial sweeteners negatively influence the microbiome of the mice that consume them, and this can very well serve to be similar in humans. Glucose tolerance and by association insulin control is a very important marker of a healthy metabolism so regularly consuming artificial sweeteners can be detrimental to maintaining your health long term.