Non-Caloric Sweeteners and Gut Health
Why these sweet ingredients may not be good for the microbiome.
The use of non-caloric sweeteners may help some people with weight loss efforts and blood sugar control, but these now ubiquitous food and drink ingredients may not be benign for the microbiome of the gut. A study published in iScience found that people who included foods and drinks with aspartame, sucralose, saccharin and stevia leaf extract had less diverse beneficial colonies of intestinal bacteria and, in the case of aspartame use, had higher levels of bacteria that churn out potential harmful toxins in their intestine when compared to those study participants who did not consume these sweeteners.
Considering what we now know about the key role the gut microbiome plays in a person’s health, and how diet can significantly influence its makeup, more research is warranted to determine which non-caloric sweeteners are more impactful, how much is too much for microbiome health and what, if any, are the health consequences.
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Award–winning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.
