Are artificial sweeteners bad for your tummy bacteria?
Assessing the in vivo data on low/no-calorie sweeteners and the gut microbiota.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
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.
Surprising Findings
The gut microbiota changes seen in rodents with saccharin occurred at doses far exceeding human intake and were not linked to any actual adverse health effects in humans.
Many viral headlines claim sweeteners cause diabetes or leaky gut via gut bacteria—this study says those rodent effects don’t translate to humans at real-world doses.
Practical Takeaways
Continue using low-calorie sweeteners if they help you reduce sugar intake—there’s no evidence they harm your gut at normal doses.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
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.
Surprising Findings
The gut microbiota changes seen in rodents with saccharin occurred at doses far exceeding human intake and were not linked to any actual adverse health effects in humans.
Many viral headlines claim sweeteners cause diabetes or leaky gut via gut bacteria—this study says those rodent effects don’t translate to humans at real-world doses.
Practical Takeaways
Continue using low-calorie sweeteners if they help you reduce sugar intake—there’s no evidence they harm your gut at normal doses.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.