The Study
Assessing the in vivo data on low/no-calorie sweeteners and the gut microbiota.
This study didn't do its own experiments—it just read other people's studies and said, 'Hmm, maybe sweeteners change gut bugs a little, but it doesn't seem to hurt people.' So we can't say sweeteners definitely cause anything—we just don't have strong proof they're harmful.
Analysis score
Maximum 5 for a narrative review.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at lots of studies to see if sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose mess up your gut bugs. They found that even when mice had changes, it was only when they ate way, way more than people ever do.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 51 / 100
Quality score
Based on clinical experience or non-systematic literature reviews. The lowest level of evidence as they are most susceptible to bias and personal perspective.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1No, the changes seen in mice don't apply to people eating normal amounts of sweeteners.
- 2Some mouse studies showed gut changes with saccharin, but only at doses 100x higher than human intake.
- 3No harmful effects found in humans.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association
Year
2019
Authors
A. Lobach, A. Roberts, I. Rowland
Related Content
Claims (4)
What you eat overall—like veggies, meat, or carbs—is probably what’s really changing your gut bacteria, not the sugar-free sweeteners in your diet.
The changes in gut bacteria seen in mice fed lots of saccharin happen only when they get way more than humans ever eat, so they don’t really tell us what happens when people use it.
Eating sugar substitutes like Splenda or Sweet'N Low doesn't seem to hurt your health, based on what we know now—even though some mouse studies saw gut changes when they gave way too much.
Several official health groups have looked at lots of science studies over and over, and they all agree that artificial sweeteners won’t hurt you if you eat or drink them in normal amounts.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.