How sweet is it really? Non-nutritive sweeteners and blood sugar control

Non-nutritive sweeteners are often seen as healthier than sugar, but new findings have confirmed new ways they can interact with the body’s processing of sugar.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide have investigated the impact that sweeteners, such as Splenda, have on the ability to control blood sugar levels. Previous research has linked habitual and high sweetener intake to the increased incidence of type 2 diabetes.

The team published the results of a two-week preclinical study in the journal Nutrients .

“In this proof-of-concept study, we wanted to discover how non-nutritive sweeteners such as sucralose (Splenda) and acesulfame-K could alter sugar processing,” said Associate Professor Richard Young, Senior Research Fellow, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide.

“Specifically, whether these sweeteners interact with sweet-sensing pathways in the gut that determine the rate of sugar absorption directly, or indirectly through effects on gut bacteria.

“We purified the intestinal bacteria of half of the mice using antibiotics and then gave them sucralose and acesulfame-K in the drinking water for two weeks.”

The mice given the sweeteners absorbed sugar from their intestines faster than those who did not, regardless of whether they were given antibiotics. This shows that these sweeteners directly affected sugar absorption in the intestines. However, their administration for two weeks did not change the overall blood sugar response.

“These findings help to largely answer some of the fundamental questions we have surrounding the effects of non-nutritive sweeteners and show that despite the misconception that they are metabolically inert, their habitual high intake can alter several mechanisms of sugar processing,” said Dr. Braden Rose, Early Career Postdoctoral Fellow, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide.

The research team, which included members of the university’s Center for Research Excellence in Translating Nutritional Science to Good Health and Nutrition, will now move to clinical testing. The researchers were also members of the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute’s Lifelong Health theme.