How Diet Soda May Trigger Diabetes
More proof that your bubbly favourite isn’t so healthy
The whole point of sugar substitutes is that they give you the same sweet taste with none of the calories so that you can reach or maintain a healthy weight. Too bad they may actually do the opposite, according to new research published in the journal Nature. While this counterintuitive fact has baffled researchers for some time, this new study seems to have discovered the missing link: your gut bacteria.
The scientists ran several experiments on mice with some interesting findings. First, they found that mice that drank water with the artificial sweeteners saccharin, aspartame, and sucralose developed glucose intolerance. Glucose intolerance is often a precursor to larger illnesses, such as type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome.Next, the researchers manipulated the mice’s gut bacteria composition to determine the effects of artificial sugars on glucose intolerance. They found that if they killed off most of the bacteria in the mice’s digestive tracts in the group given artificial sweeteners, the glucose intolerance went away.The researchers also began translating their findings to humans. Analyzing the data from the Personalized Nutrition Project—a website that tracks your food intake, especially sugar levels—they found a significant correlation between reported consumption of artificial sweeteners, gut bacteria configurations, and an inclination to develop glucose intolerance.
Finally, they conducted a small trial measuring the gut bacteria of healthy individuals. After only a week of consuming artificial sweeteners, the participants started showing glucose intolerance, and gut bacteria composition had changed.
Try making your own yogurt or looking for organic, plain yogurt with no added sugars in the grocery store.
