Health Update: Artificial Sweeteners Harmless?? Ask Your Gut!!

RVAchironeuro • September 26, 2022

09.26.22

 

Hello again everyone:

Here is a new article that reveals how artificial sweeteners can damage our health. It appears that the artificial sweeteners alter our gut microbiome that then has a negative influence on blood sugar control which induces insulin resistance. This is not a good or health building result as insulin resistance causes or leads to: type 2 diabetes; weight gain; inflammation; cardiovascular disease; high blood pressure; kidney damage; nerve damage; dementia; brain fog and more. Here is what one study said:

Results: The HOMAIR values for Group A and B ranged from 0.9–24.33 and 0.12–10.83 with mean values 7.39 and 2.6, respectively, showing that the ones who used AS had a higher insulin resistance. The study also showed that the duration of use of artificial sweeteners had a direct impact on insulin resistance.

It turns out that there are a lot of studies on this topic. You can click on these links to read more if you are interested. Here is a summary from the link immediately below:                                                                                                                                                                                           “Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are commonly integrated into human diet and presumed to be inert; however, animal studies suggest that they may impact the microbiome and downstream glycemic responses. We causally assessed NNS impacts in humans and their microbiomes in a randomized-controlled trial encompassing 120 healthy adults, administered saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, and stevia sachets for 2 weeks in doses lower than the acceptable daily intake, compared with controls receiving sachet-contained vehicle glucose or no supplement. As groups, each administered NNS distinctly altered stool and oral microbiome and plasma metabolome, whereas saccharin and sucralose significantly impaired glycemic responses. Importantly, gnotobiotic mice conventionalized with microbiomes from multiple top and bottom responders of each of the four NNS-supplemented groups featured glycemic responses largely reflecting those noted in respective human donors, which were preempted by distinct microbial signals, as exemplified by sucralose. Collectively, human NNS consumption may induce person-specific, microbiome-dependent glycemic alterations, necessitating future assessment of clinical implications.

Bottom Line: There is no compelling reason to consume non-nutritive artificial sweeteners as they clearly appear to negatively affect our health. They are shown to harm our vital microbiome which can lead to insulin resistance and many other poor health outcomes. Overall and for most of us, the less ‘sweetness’ the better, thus limiting consumption of processed foods and reducing any added sweeteners of most any type will offer a boost to your health.

 

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