Eating too much added sugar might kill off the good bacteria in your gut that make helpful chemicals, which could weaken your gut lining and cause body-wide inflammation.

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Evidence from Studies

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Added sugars, gut microbiota, and host health

Narrative Review

Human & Animal

2025 Dec 31

Eating too much added sugar can hurt the good bacteria in your gut that make helpful chemicals for your intestines, which might cause leaks and inflammation. This study found that sugar does this, though not everyone reacts the same way.

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According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Added sugars, gut microbiota, and host health

Score: 1

DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2025.2592431

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