Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

Artificial sweeteners lead to diabetes and weight gain, more so than sugar

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
September 18, 2014
in Health, News, Nutrition

artificial sweeteners
Image credits: Punching Judy, Flickr

If you’re trying to lose weight, then sugar is one of your main enemies. But everybody wants something sweet once in a while, so artificial sweeteners were invented, and in recent years, they’ve become quite popular. But now, a new study shows that artificial sweeteners are messing with our gut bacteria, also causing high sugar levels in our blood.

This seems pretty weird; our bodies can’t digest artificial sweeteners, so then how is it that they’re causing increased sugar levels? A team from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel found that artificial sweeteners are messing with our stomach’s “fauna” – the bacteria which inhabit our gut -, triggering glucose intolerance in the body – which is the first step towards metabolic syndrome and adult-onset diabetes.

“Our results suggest that in a subset of individuals, artificial sweeteners may affect the composition and function of the gut microbiome,” Eran Elinav, an immunologist and co-author of the study, explained at a press conference.

To understand exactly how this is happening, researchers analyzed three artificial sweeteners: aspartame, sucralose and sacchari; they found that all three of have an effect even stronger than sugar. The substances led to an increase in the bacterial fauna population, increasing the sugar levels.

Researchers then gave mice antibiotics, which interestingly enough wiped out the entire bacteria population, sending sugar levels back to normal values.

“This, in itself, was conclusive proof that changes to the gut bacteria are directly responsible for the harmful effects to their host’s metabolism. The group even found that incubating the microbiota outside the body, together with artificial sweeteners, was sufficient to induce glucose intolerance.”

After settling the issue on mice, they moved on to humans. Similar effects were observed – eating artificial sweeteners causes gut bacteria to thrive, raising the sugar levels in the blood, more than eating the same amount of sugar.

“Elinav believes that certain bacteria in the guts of those who developed glucose intolerance reacted to the chemical sweeteners by secreting substances that then provoked an inflammatory response similar to sugar overdose, promoting changes in the body’s ability to utilise sugar,” the press release explains.

So, while the exact underlying mechanisms remain to be figured out, and while researchers study why some bacteria are affected and some not, the takeaway message is really simple: avoid artificial sweeteners – they do more harm than sugar.

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Zero-calorie sweeteners might be just as bad for you as sugar
  2. Benefits of quitting smoking offset weight gain in people with diabetes
  3. Holiday season weight gain myth busted – it’s a lot less than most people think
  4. Weight gain is mostly controlled by what you eat — not genetics
  5. Why we gain weight as we age
Tags: artificial sweeteneraspartameglucose

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW