Artificial sweeteners can turn healthy gut bacteria into pathogens

Artificial sweeteners can turn potentially healthy bacteria in the gut microbiome into harmful microbes and potentially cause serious health problems like blood poisoning, scientists say.

British researchers have found that sugar substitutes like saccharin, sucralose and aspartame – found in soft drinks and processed foods – can cause beneficial bacteria in the gut like E. coli (Escherichia coli) and E. faecalis (Enterococcus faecalis) to become pathogenic or pathogenic.

Bacteria such as E. faecalis can penetrate the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream, which can lead to a life-threatening condition caused by blood poisoning (septicemia) known as sepsis. These pathogenic microbes can also build up in the liver, lymph nodes, and spleen and cause a variety of other infections.

The researchers said that based on their findings, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, it is important to understand more about the effects of sweeteners on health.

“Our study is the first to show that some of the most common sweeteners found in foods and beverages – saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame – can make normal and ‘healthy’ gut bacteria pathogenic,” said Dr. Havovi Chichger, Lecturer in Biomedical Science at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).

“These pathogenic changes include increased formation of biofilms and increased adhesion and invasion of bacteria in human intestinal cells. These changes could cause our own gut bacteria to invade and damage our gut, which can be linked to infection, sepsis, and multiple organ failure.

“We know that excessive sugar consumption is an important factor in causing diseases such as obesity and diabetes. It is therefore important that we expand our knowledge of sweeteners compared to sugar in the diet in order to better understand the effects on our health. “

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Pathogenic bacteria can invade and kill Caco-2 cells – cells that line the intestinal wall. The researchers found that an amount of sweetener equivalent to two cans of soft drink can significantly increase the ability of E. coli and E. faecalis to attach to Caco-2 cells.

They also found that sweeteners have an impact on the formation of biofilms – clusters of bacteria that are more likely to secrete toxins and are less sensitive to antimicrobial resistance treatments, potentially increasing the risk of disease.

The researchers wrote in their article, “As the consumption of AS (Artificial Sweeteners) in the diet continues to increase, understanding how this food additive affects the gut microbiota and how these harmful effects can be alleviated is critical.”

Reader Questions and Answers: Can Artificial Sweeteners Cause Weight Gain?

Asked by: Ciaran Scanlon, Kildare, Ireland

The evidence on this is contradicting itself. Long-term, large-sample studies have found an association between artificial sweeteners and weight gain, but these are usually based on nutritional questionnaires, which are not accurate. You also cannot say whether, for example, diet lemonade makes you fat or whether overweight people are more likely to drink diet lemonade.

A 2016 report by the health organization Cochrane evaluated the results of many more rigorous short-term studies and concluded that artificial sweeteners actually help you lose weight by replacing sugar calories with calorie-free alternatives.

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source https://dailyhealthynews.ca/artificial-sweeteners-can-turn-healthy-gut-bacteria-into-pathogens/