Beware, artificial sweeteners can cause diabetes - shocking new study reveals

According to new data published in the journal “Cell” and reported by South West News Service, scientists are warning that some artificial sweeteners can alter the body’s microbes in a way that changes blood sugar levels, the New York Post, states.

Though real sugar can increase the calories one consumes, a shocking new study has revealed that artificial sugar may cause diabetes.

Artificial sweeteners are also known as sugar substitutes, low-calorie sweeteners, or non-nutritive sweeteners. In fact, most artificial sweeteners are considered "free foods" informs Mayo Clinic.

Free foods reportedly contain less than 20 calories and 5 grams or less of carbohydrates. This is why foods made with artificial sweeteners may have fewer calories than those made with sugar.

However, experts warn that other ingredients in foods that have artificial sweeteners can still affect blood sugar levels.

According to the most recent data, an estimated 2.2 million people in the UK use artificial sweeteners 4 times a day or more.

The artificial sweeteners which include saccharin and aspartame are reportedly found in thousands of diet products such as fizzy drinks, desserts, ready meals, and cakes. They can also be found in chewing gum and toothpaste.

The Mayo Clinic informs that some of the other sugar substitutes include acesulfame potassium, neotame, advantame, sucralose, and stevia.

Senior author Professor Eran Elinav, of the German National Cancer Centre, is reported to have said, “In subjects consuming the non-nutritive sweeteners, we could identify very distinct changes in the composition and function of gut microbes, and the molecules they secrete into the peripheral blood.

“This seemed to suggest gut microbes in the human body are rather responsive to each of these sweeteners.

“When we looked at consumers of non-nutritive sweeteners as groups, we found two of the non-nutritive sweeteners, saccharin, and sucralose, significantly impacted glucose tolerance in healthy adults.

“Interestingly, changes in the microbes were highly correlated with the alterations noted in people’s glycaemic responses.”

Glycaemic response refers to the effect a food has on blood glucose levels after it is consumed.

In 2014, Professor Eran’s team reportedly identified the same phenomenon in mice and was keen to discover if a similar response would be obtained from humans.

According to the Independent, the researchers screened more than 1,300 people and identified 120 people who had reportedly strictly avoided any kind of artificial sweeteners.

The latter were divided into six groups – two controls and (four groups) who ingested well below the daily allowance of either aspartame, saccharin, stevia, or sucralose recommended by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The researchers then went on to inject microbial samples from the subjects into mice (raised in completely sterile conditions) with no gut bacteria of their own, states the Independent.

Prof Eran is quoted as saying, “The results were quite striking. In all of the non-nutritive sweetener groups, but in none of the controls, when we transferred into these sterile mice the microbiome of the top responder individuals collected at a time point in which they were consuming the respective non-nutritive sweeteners, the recipient mice developed glycemic alterations that very significantly mirrored those of the donor individuals.

“In contrast, the bottom responders’ microbiomes were mostly unable to elicit such glycaemic responses.

“These results suggest that the microbiome changes in response to human consumption of non-nutritive sweetener may, at times, induce glycaemic changes in consumers in a highly personalised manner.”

He explains that the incredibly unique composition of our microbiome is responsible for the varying effects of the sweeteners from person to person.

He adds, “We need to raise awareness of the fact that non-nutritive sweeteners are not inert to the human body as we originally believed.

“With that said, the clinical health implications of the changes they may elicit in humans remain unknown and merit future long-term studies.

“In the meantime, we need to continue searching for solutions to our sweet tooth craving, while avoiding sugar, which is clearly most harmful to our metabolic health. In my personal view, drinking only water seems to be the best solution.”

These findings published in the journal Cell, reportedly follow previous research that suggests sweeteners have adverse effects on metabolism and appetite control as well, said the Independent.