Why do sweeteners disrupt the gut microbiota?

Even if we try to avoid them, sweeteners are everywhere! In the chewing gum we chew, in the so-called “low-fat” products, in light drinks, in sweets and even in medicines… This substance should reproduce the taste of sugar, was recently identified by the WHO for its “potential adverse effects […] such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mortality in adults.

But a new study, published December 15 in the journal iScience, recently established a link between consumption of sweeteners and alteration of the intestinal microbiota. How is it possible ? Here are some answers.

A disturbance in the composition of the microbiota

To overcome sugar cravings, some people tend to turn to substitutes whose taste offers satisfaction. Unfortunately, this gesture is not without risks scientists have found important differences in composition between people who eat it and those who don’t. These disparities are observed within the duodenal microbial composition itself. Ruchi Mathur, researcher and initiator of the study, explains it in a press release:

“The richness of bacteria in the small intestine was lower in subjects consuming non-aspartame and non-sugar sweeteners compared to controls.”

But this does not appear to be the researchers’ only discovery.

Harmful bacteria thrive in the intestines of people who consume sweeteners

Rather surprising fact: people who regularly consume aspartame have a microbiota that would be “more likely to produce a toxin called cylindrospermopsin”, according to Ruchi Mathur. This toxin can have deleterious effects on our body. Furthermore, and despite what we tend to believe, you shouldn’t consume sweeteners for years for the microbiota to change. According to a new study published in Molecules and led by researchers from Ben-Gurion University in Israel and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore: “Two weeks of consuming synthetic sweeteners was enough to destroy intestinal bacteria”…

Six types of sweeteners are involved: aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, neotame, advantame, acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), etc.

Main conclusions that allow us to better understand the mechanisms of the human body: “given the crucial role played by gut microbes in digestion, nutrient absorption, immune regulation and endocrine functions […] The findings have potential implications for metabolic and gastrointestinal health.”.

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