New research suggests artificial sweeteners may set the stage for diabetes in some people. Acknowledging the study is preliminary, scientists in Israel found that mice who had consumed artificial sweeteners had higher blood sugar and altered bacteria in their gut. High sugar levels in the blood are associated with diabetes. Limited testing on seven people showed similar results in some of them.
Canadians and manufacturers started using more artificial sweeteners in the 1980s as sugar was increasingly blamed for weight gain.
Listen“We’ve never really understood why it is that these (obesity) rates continue to go up even though sugar consumption was going down,” says Jason Tetro, a microbiologist and author of The Germ Code. “So these researchers wanted to find out whether or not it was the artificial sweeteners.”
Gut bacteria important to human health
So they gave different groups of mice solutions containing water, sugar and artificial sweetener in different combinations. Within seven to 11 weeks, they found the mice consuming the artificial sweetener had higher blood sugar levels and altered gut bacteria.
“As a microbiologist, I can tell you that if you have a change in the bacteria in your gut, you’re going to have a change in your overall health, and this (study) really solidifies that.”
In another preliminary test they found that four out of seven healthy, human volunteers who consumed saccharin showed a decline in their ability to handle sugar and had changes in the make-up of their gut bacteria.
Interpret ‘with caution’
Experts are urging caution in interpreting the results of this study and the authors are not recommending any changes in how people use these sweeteners based on their study.
The results are however intriguing and there will certainly be more research to try to replicate them.
Rates of diabetes are going up dramatically in Canada and around the world. Governments are concerned and are providing funding for further research.
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