Sweeteners can damage the intestines

Chemically manufactured sweeteners can do significant damage to the intestinal flora. For this result comes a new result study from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. According to the researchers, artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, sucralose and aspartame — which are mainly found in diet versions of soft drinks — can encourage gut bacteria to enter gut cells. Focus was first reported on it.

Eleven sweeteners are currently approved in the EU – but all have a state-regulated maximum dose. The reason for this is that the long-term consequences of regular sweetener consumption have not been adequately researched yet. The study published this year appears to prove that excessive consumption of artificial sweeteners leads to a pathogenic change in the intestinal microflora – and in the worst case can even destroy the walls of the intestine.

Sweeteners have a negative effect on the intestinal microflora

The sweetener primarily interacts with the intestinal bacteria Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Enterococcus faecalis (E.faecalis). “There are many concerns about the consumption of artificial sweeteners, as some studies show that sweeteners can affect the layer of bacteria that support the gut, known as the gut microbiome,” said study lead author Havovi Checher.

Artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame can interact with healthy bacteria in the gut. This can lead to increased adhesion of intestinal bacteria. Adhesions form a hard bacterial layer covering the mucous membrane of the intestine and have a negative effect on the intestinal microflora.

According to the study, only two doses of known soft drinks can be enough to increase the pathogenicity of E. coli and E. faecalis. Pathogenicity is understood to mean the basic ability of infectious substances to cause diseases in particular organisms.