[h=1]Artificial sweeteners could cause spikes in blood sugar[/h]
By Brady Dennis September 17
Artificial sweeteners might be triggering higher blood-sugar levels in some people and contributing to the problems they were designed to combat, such as diabetes and obesity, according to new findings published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Although the precise reasons behind the blood-sugar changes remain uncertain, researchers suspect that artificial sweeteners could be disrupting the microbiome, a vast and enigmatic ecosystem of bacteria in our guts.
In a series of experiments, researchers found that several of the most widely used types of non-calorie sweeteners in food and drinks — saccharin, sucralose and aspartame — caused mice to experience increased risk of glucose intolerance, a condition that can lead to diabetes.
In addition, Lefferts and the study’s authors said people shouldn’t see the findings as a suggestion that sugar-sweetened drinks are somehow preferable to artificial sweeteners.
“We must stress, by no means are we saying that sugary drinks are healthy and that sugary drinks should be brought back as a healthy part of our nutrition,” Elinav said
The Food and Drug Administration has approved six different types of sugar substitutes, or “high-intensity” sweeteners, with the most recent coming this year. The three types included in Wednesday’s study involving mice — saccharin, sucralose and aspartame — are more commonly known by the popular brand names Sweet n’ Low, Splenda and Equal, respectively. However, the researchers relied primarily on saccharin in their mouse and human experiments.
Artificial sweeteners could cause spikes in blood sugar - The Washington Post
By Brady Dennis September 17
Artificial sweeteners might be triggering higher blood-sugar levels in some people and contributing to the problems they were designed to combat, such as diabetes and obesity, according to new findings published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Although the precise reasons behind the blood-sugar changes remain uncertain, researchers suspect that artificial sweeteners could be disrupting the microbiome, a vast and enigmatic ecosystem of bacteria in our guts.
In a series of experiments, researchers found that several of the most widely used types of non-calorie sweeteners in food and drinks — saccharin, sucralose and aspartame — caused mice to experience increased risk of glucose intolerance, a condition that can lead to diabetes.
In addition, Lefferts and the study’s authors said people shouldn’t see the findings as a suggestion that sugar-sweetened drinks are somehow preferable to artificial sweeteners.
“We must stress, by no means are we saying that sugary drinks are healthy and that sugary drinks should be brought back as a healthy part of our nutrition,” Elinav said
The Food and Drug Administration has approved six different types of sugar substitutes, or “high-intensity” sweeteners, with the most recent coming this year. The three types included in Wednesday’s study involving mice — saccharin, sucralose and aspartame — are more commonly known by the popular brand names Sweet n’ Low, Splenda and Equal, respectively. However, the researchers relied primarily on saccharin in their mouse and human experiments.
Artificial sweeteners could cause spikes in blood sugar - The Washington Post
