A new study showed that artificial sweeteners can trigger glucose intolerance and increase the risks for metabolic diseases.
Study leader Dr. Eran Elinav from the Weizmann Institute of Science's Department of Immunology and Prof. Eran Segal from the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics found that artificial sweeteners present in food and drinks are the main cause of diabetes and obesity.
To gather data for the study, scientists gave water with the recommended amount of artificial sweetener approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to a group of 10-week-old mice. Other groups of mice drank either plain water, water mixed with glucose or with ordinary sugar.
There were minute changes in the mice who drank water or sugar water after a week. But the group with artificial sweeteners developed distinct glucose intolerance.
Researchers then tested whether or not artificial sweeteners have an effect on the gut's natural bacteria. They postulated that the gut bacteria may play a role in glucose intolerance, so they decided to treat the affected mice with an antibiotic. The mice returned to their normal glucose metabolism after a dose of medication.
To test if the results were also applicable to humans, Dr. Elinav and Prof. Segal analyzed the data collected on the Personalized Nutrition Project and found a direct correlation between glucose intolerance and artificial sweeteners. Participants who consumed artificial sweeteners showed symptoms of glucose intolerance.
A controlled experiment was also conducted in which participants who did not consume artificial sweeteners were asked to take it for a week. After a week, the volunteers were tested for their gut microbiota. The tests revealed that many of them did develop glucose intolerance.
"The results of our experiments highlight the importance of personalized medicine and nutrition to our overall health. We believe that an integrated analysis of individualized 'big data' from our genome, microbiome, and dietary habits could transform our ability to understand how foods and nutritional supplements affect a person's health and risk of disease," Prof. Segal explained in a press release.
According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, 1 in 133 Americans has celiac disease or gluten intolerance. About 83 percent of them are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Common symptoms of the disease include digestive problems, severe skin rash, iron deficiency anemia and muscle cramps.
Further findings of this study were published in the Sept. 18 issue of Nature.
