Artificial sweeteners toxic for gut microbes: Study

Artificial sweeteners and sport supplements may be toxic to digestive gut microbes, a study warns.

The study, published in the journal Molecules, indicated relative toxicity of six artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, saccharine, neotame, advantame, and acesulfame potassium-k) and 10 sport supplements containing these artificial sweeteners.

The bacteria found in the digestive system became toxic when exposed to concentrations of only one milligramme/millilitre of the artificial sweeteners.

"We modified bioluminescent E coli bacteria, which luminesce when they detect toxicants and act as a sensing model representative of the complex microbial system," said Ariel Kushmaro of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel.

"This is further evidence that consumption of artificial sweeteners adversely affects gut microbial activity which can cause a wide range of health issues," said Kushmaro.

Artificial sweeteners are used in countless food products and soft drinks with ...