Artificial Sweeteners are Toxic to Gut Bacteria, Study Shows

Sci-News.com ^ | Oct 3, 2018 | News Staff / Source

[ETL]

Artificial sweeteners are an important class of sugar substitutes known as high-intensity sweeteners.

These substances provide a sweeter taste than sugar and also enhance food flavor, while contributing very little to energy intake.

The Food and Drug Authority (FDA) has approved the use of six artificial sweeteners, which includes aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, advantame, neotame and acesulfame potassium-k (ace-k), in food and beverages. The recent EU legislation has also approved these artificial sweeteners.

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“The results of our study might help in understanding the relative toxicity of artificial sweeteners and the potential of negative effects on the gut microbial community as well as the environment,” saod study co-authors Professor Ariel Kushmaro, from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

In the study, the relative toxicity of six FDA-approved artificial sweeteners and that of ten sport supplements containing these sweeteners were tested using genetically modified bioluminescent bacteria from E. coli.

“We modified bioluminescent E. coli bacteria, which luminesce when they detect toxicants and act as a sensing model representative of the complex microbial system,” Professor Kushmaro explained.

Toxic effects were found when the bacteria were exposed to certain concentrations of the artificial sweeteners.

“In the bioluminescence activity assay, two toxicity response patterns were observed, namely, the induction and inhibition of the bioluminescent signal,” the researchers said.

“An inhibition response pattern may be observed in the response of sucralose in all the tested bacterial strains. It is also observed in neotame. On the other hand, the induction response pattern may be observed in its response in saccharin, aspartame and ace-k.”

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

[DCBryan1]

Yep. I got diagnosed type 2 diabetic. NO SUGAR. Switched to splenda, ...still 110 blood sugar. switched to Stevia 107. Then Truvia, 105. Got the bright idea to just do more 2% milk (which is sweet anyways) and BAM....90-95 blood sugar.

[Pelham]

I wonder where stevia fits in this. Not artificial at all, but a sugar substitute.

[BipolarBob]

Switched to splenda, ...still 110 blood sugar.

110 isn't a diabetic number. well within normal range.

[catnipman]

“I get migraines from all fake sugars and artificial whats-it”

all forms of Stevia (no matter how “purified”)and aspartame both give me vicious headaches ... don’t know about the others as i just stay away from everything like that ...

[catnipman]

“So if I read this right... if their poop didn’t glow then the artificial sweeteners killed the bacteria?”

i think the bacteria themselves light up when they encounter stuff that is toxic to them ...

[catnipman]

“110 isn’t a diabetic number. well within normal range.”

110 is in the pre-diabetic range for fasting glucose ...

[ETL]

Here's a related thread I posted recently...

Your gut is directly connected to your brain, by a newly discovered neuron circuit

ScienceMag - Science.org ^ | Sept 20, 2018 | Emily Underwood

https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3689531/posts

[Flaming Conservative]

I wonder if they tested sugar alcohols, or natural sugars like monk fruit, which do not elevate blood sugar? Splenda (sucralose) is apparently made from sugar, but is made by attaching a chlorine molecule to it, or some such thing. My sister, God rest her soul, used to warn me not to use splenda, but I do use it in cooking. She never used it. She died of metastatic cancer.

[Macoozie]

Sprinkle it on the e-poop tainted hamburger and watch the light show!

Sucralose works for me. Sugar free Turani syrup on sour cream with some fresh blackberries fits my <20 g carbs per day Keto diet.

[Macoozie]

Sprinkle it on the e-poop tainted hamburger and watch the light show!

Sucralose works for me. Sugar free Turani syrup on sour cream with some fresh blackberries fits my <20 g carbs per day Keto diet.

[ETL]

From Johns Hopkins Medicine...

The Brain-Gut Connection

Anxiety and depression have been thought to contribute to gastro conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A Johns Hopkins expert explains how what’s going on in your gut could be affecting your brain

f you’ve ever “gone with your gut” to make a decision or felt “butterflies in your stomach” when nervous, you’re likely getting signals from an unexpected source: your second brain.  Hidden in the walls of the digestive system, this “brain in your gut” is revolutionizing medicine’s understanding of the links between digestion, mood, health and even the way you think.  

Scientists call this little brain the enteric nervous system (ENS). And it’s not so little. The ENS is two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal tract from esophagus to rectum.

What Does Your Gut’s Brain Control?

Unlike the big brain in your skull, the ENS can’t balance your checkbook or compose a love note. “Its main role is controlling digestion, from swallowing to the release of enzymes that break down food to the control of blood flow that helps with nutrient absorption to elimination,” explains Jay Pasricha, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology, whose research on the enteric nervous system has garnered international attention. “The enteric nervous system doesn’t seem capable of thought as we know it, but it communicates back and forth with our big brain—with profound results.”

The ENS may trigger big emotional shifts experienced by people coping with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional bowel problems such as constipation, diarrhea, bloating, pain and stomach upset. “For decades, researchers and doctors thought that anxiety and depression contributed to these problems. But our studies and others show that it may also be the other way around,” Pasricha says. Researchers are finding evidence that irritation in the gastrointestinal system may send signals to the central nervous system (CNS) that trigger mood changes.

“These new findings may explain why a higher-than-normal percentage of people with IBS and functional bowel problems develop depression and anxiety,” Pasricha says. “That’s important, because up to 30 to 40 percent of the population has functional bowel problems at some point.”

New Gut Understanding Equals New Treatment Opportunities

This new understanding of the ENS-CNS connection helps explain the effectiveness of IBS and bowel-disorder treatments such as antidepressants and mind-body therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medical hypnotherapy. “Our two brains ‘talk’ to each other, so therapies that help one may help the other,” Pasricha says. “In a way, gastroenterologists (doctors who specialize in digestive conditions) are like counselors looking for ways to soothe the second brain.”

Gastroenterologists may prescribe certain antidepressants for IBS, for example—not because they think the problem is all in a patient’s head, but because these medications calm symptoms in some cases by acting on nerve cells in the gut, Pasricha explains. “Psychological interventions like CBT may also help to “improve communications” between the big brain and the brain in our gut,” he says.

Still More to Learn About Mind-Gut Link

Pasricha says research suggests that digestive-system activity may affect cognition (thinking skills and memory), too. “This is an area that needs more research, something we hope to do here at Johns Hopkins,” he says.

Another area of interest: Discovering how signals from the digestive system affect metabolism, raising or reducing risk for health conditions like type 2 diabetes. “This involves interactions between nerve signals, gut hormones and microbiota—the bacteria that live in the digestive system,” Pasricha says. 

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy_aging/healthy_body/the-brain-gut-connection

[dgbrown]

There must be another sweetener coming out.

[DannyTN]

Not in that study. Which is frustrating because I would have liked to have known if the bacteria were stressed by sugar too.

I also don’t really understand what they mean by stressed. What kind of stress causes them to light up? Do I care if I stress my gut bacteria a little? A lot? Obviously I don’t want to kill the little suckers.

[DannyTN]

Not in that study. Which is frustrating because I would have liked to have known if the bacteria were stressed by sugar too.

I also don’t really understand what they mean by stressed. What kind of stress causes them to light up? Do I care if I stress my gut bacteria a little? A lot? Obviously I don’t want to kill the little suckers.

[ETL]

Cricket Consumption Increases ‘Good’ Gut Bacteria

Sci-News.com ^ | Aug 6, 2018 | News Staff / Source

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports shows that consuming edible crickets can help support the growth of the probiotic bacterium Bifidobacterium animalis, a strain that has been linked to improved gastrointestinal function and other measures of health, and that eating crickets is not only safe in large amounts but may also reduce inflammation in the body. ..."

“Raising insects for protein not only helps protect the environment, but also offers a more healthful option than meat in many wealthy countries with high-meat diets,”..."

Crickets, like other insects, contain fibers, such as chitin, that are different from the dietary fiber found in foods like fruits and vegetables.

Fiber serves as a microbial food source and some fiber types promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, also known as probiotics.

The small trial probed whether insect fibers might influence the bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract.

“We evaluated the effects of consuming 25 grams/day whole cricket powder on gut microbiota composition, while assessing safety and tolerability,” the study authors said.

“Twenty healthy adults participated in this six-week, double-blind, crossover dietary intervention.”

“They were randomized into two study arms and consumed either cricket-containing or control breakfast foods for 14 days, followed by a washout period and assignment to the opposite treatment.”

“Blood and stool samples were collected at baseline and after each treatment period to assess liver function and microbiota changes.”

Participants reported no significant gastrointestinal changes or side effects and the researchers found no evidence of changes to overall microbial composition or changes to gut inflammation.

They did see an increase in a metabolic enzyme associated with gut health, and a decrease in an inflammatory protein in the blood called TNF-alpha, which has been linked to other measures of well-being, like depression and cancer.

(Excerpt) Read more at sci-news.com ...

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[dforest]

Those gummy bear reviews were hilarious. I wonder if they are still there?

[Flaming Conservative]

The most likely reason your blood sugar spiked with Splenda a stevia/truvia, may be related to the fact that some forms of those sweeteners are mixed with maltodextrin, which is a carbohydrate, and will increase your blood sugar. Monk fruit sweetener is expensive, but it is 100 to 159 times sweeter than cane sugar. When I make keto desserts, I can use erythritol, a sugar alcohol with xero net carbs, but it has an unpleasant “cooling” sensation to taste. If I add a tiny bit of monk fruit sweetener, it tastes more like real sugar. Splenda tastes like sugar and is my favorite substitute, but the kind used for baking, as I said earlier, has maltodextrin in it, so it raises carbs.

[aomagrat]

“Those gummy bear reviews were hilarious. I wonder if they are still there?”

https://www.amazon.com/Haribo-Gold-Bears-Delicious-Packaging-Packaging/product-reviews/B000EVOSE4/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_acr_sr?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews

[DannyTN]

Are crickets sweet?

[DannyTN]

Are crickets sweet?