Are artificial sweeteners bad for gut health? Are they too sweet to be true?
What you should know about the artificial sweetener sucralose, and its impact on the healthy bacteria inside our gut.
Hey Uplifters!
Today we’re talking real evidence about artificial sweeteners!
You may have heard of artificial sweeteners by their brand names such as Equal, Truvia or Splenda. Each of these are manufactured to look and taste just like natural sugar, but provide less energy than the natural form.
Over the years, there have been many questions surrounding the nutrition and impact artificial sweeteners have on our health. For example, do they help us lose weight or cause weight gain? Do they increase our risk of type II diabetes? And more recently, can these sweeteners have a damaging effect on our gut microbiota?
Last year, a study was published which claimed the amount of low/no-calorie artificial sweeteners determined by regulatory authorities to be safely eaten by people, had no impact on the bacteria inside our gut however, when these claims were reviewed, they were proven to be false!
Researchers from North Carolina State University reviewed these claims by looking at evidence from multiple other studies. One of these included a study using rats who were fed sucralose at increasing amounts over a 12 week period who showed a significant reduction in bacterial counts and strains. With the support of more evidence, it was undoubtedly proven the artificial sweetener sucralose, found in Splenda, greatly reduced the beneficial bacteria in the gut. Known as dysbiosis, the reduction of good bacteria causes an imbalance in the overall composition of bacterial strains in the gut.
Some of the good strains of bacteria that were reduced included bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, strains which may sound familiar to you because you can find them in our Daily Uplifter powder!
So what does this mean for you, your diet and your gut health?
Because we are passionate about all things gut-health here at Uplift Food, we want you to be aware of the harmful effects artificial sweeteners can have on your gut-health and be sure to stick to products which use natural sweeteners to enhance their flavour.
For now, we know sucralose has proven negative effects on gut health, in the near future, researchers aim to investigate the impact of other artificial sweeteners types.
Stay tuned for more gut health topics!
In good gut health,
Team Uplifters!