Are artificial sweeteners safe? It is a bit complicated.

For years, artificial sweeteners have been promoted as a healthier alternative to table sugar. But several studies in recent years have suggested that artificial sweeteners may not necessarily be good for your health.

Adding to this growing body of evidence is a recent study published in Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B. For the study, the researchers conducted laboratory experiments on the impact of sucralose (an artificial sweetener marketed as Splenda) and sucralose-6-acetate (a form of sucralose that occurs after your body breaks down the sweetener) on tissue. human and has made several regarding the feedback.

Researchers have found that sucralose-6-acetate is genotoxic, meaning it can damage DNA. The chemical also caused intestinal cells to turn on genes linked to inflammation and cancer.

Researchers have noted that sucralose can damage the cells lining the wall of the intestine, leading to leaky gut. Leaky gut syndrome, in case you aren’t familiar with it, is a theory that when your gut “leaks,” it releases elements that would normally be removed in stool into your bloodstream, where they can cause inflammation.

“Overall, the toxicological and pharmacokinetic findings for sucralose-6-acetate raise significant health concerns regarding the safety and regulatory status of sucralose,” the researchers wrote.

The study comes shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that using artificial sweeteners for weight control could potentially contribute to health problems.

Given the popularity of sucralose and other artificial sweeteners, it’s understandable to have concerns about their safety. Here’s what you need to know.

What does other research say about artificial sweeteners?

There have been some recent studies on artificial sweeteners (aka non-sugar sweeteners) that suggest some people should be cautious about using them. The recent WHO recommendation is based on the findings of a systematic review which found that artificial sweeteners have no long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children. But WHO also noted that the review suggested long-term use of artificial sweeteners could cause an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even death in adults.

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A 2022 study of more than 102,000 French adults and their dietary habits found that after about eight years, those who consumed artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, were slightly more likely (1.13 times) to develop cancer than those who didn’t.

Artificial sweeteners have also been linked to some weight gain. A 2020 study published in Journal of the American Heart Association followed 203 adults who consumed at least one sugary drink a day and followed them for a year. One group was given artificially sweetened beverages such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi and asked to replace them with their usual soft drinks. Another group was handed shipments of still and sparkling water, and a third group was asked to maintain their usual pattern of consuming sugary drinks. The researchers found that people who drank artificially sweetened diet drinks gained one pound during the study period, while those who continued to drink sugary drinks gained about 10 pounds, and those who drank water and sparkling water lost weight. .

A study published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2019 compared the effects of sugar and four different low-calorie sweeteners on weight gain in overweight and obese adults and found that people who drank saccharin-containing beverages had “significant gain in body weight” after three months.

A 2018 study published in the journal Molecules found that the artificial sweeteners aspartame, sucralose and saccharin can disrupt the gut microbial balance (the balance between good and bad bacteria in the gut).

But the data was conflicting. Laboratory studies in rats have linked high doses of saccharin to the development of bladder cancer in rats, but later studies have shown that how saccharin can cause cancer in rats does not apply to humans. As a result, saccharin was originally listed on the US National Toxicology Programs Report on carcinogens as a reasonably foreseeable carcinogen and subsequently cancelled.

A 2019 review of 35 observational studies and 21 controlled studies on the use of artificial sweeteners in children and adults published in BMJ extension found that there was no evidence that these products affected adults’ eating behaviors, mood, or cognition, or their likelihood of developing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease.

Is it safe to use artificial sweeteners?

While the latest study findings are concerning, experts say you shouldn’t stress about using artificial sweeteners just yet. “‘Genotoxic’ means that a substance has the potential to damage your DNA,” Jamie Alan, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University, tells Yahoo Life. “Keep in mind that we get DNA insults from the environment all the time. It’s the cumulative effect that’s concerning.”

Registered dietitian Scott Keatley, co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy, tells Yahoo Life it’s hard to draw too many conclusions from the latest study. “The real difficulty is to say how these substances will interact with a complete system like the human body and not with cells in a glass, which is what this new research has done, more or less,” he says.

However, Deborah Cohen, an associate professor in Rutgers University’s Department of Clinical and Preventive Nutritional Sciences, tells Yahoo Life that for now, “the evidence is compelling,” adding, “I would advise people to significantly limit their consumption of sweeteners.” artificial and sugar substitutes or avoid them altogether.”

She’s concerned about the link between artificial sweeteners and gut issues, something other experts echo. “A large part of our bodily processes occur in the gut, and as our gut microbiome changes, it affects other functions taking place in the body,” said registered dietitian Jessica Cording, author of The Little Book of Revolutionarieshe tells Yahoo Life.

Cording recommends her patients keep the use of artificial sweeteners “to a minimum.” Among other things, he notes that these products taste incredibly sweet—sucralose is about 600 times sweeter than table sugar, for example—and says it can make people crave sweet things more than they would if they hadn’t used any sweeteners. artificial.

But Colleen Rauchut Tewksbury, a registered dietitian and adjunct associate professor at Penn Medicine, tells Yahoo Life there’s still a lot we don’t know about how artificial sweeteners affect the body. “For now, the science is too early and there isn’t much yet in humans to answer whether or not they are safe and in what quantities,” she says. “These types of sweeteners are generally recognized as safe, so if someone likes them and helps them achieve their health goals, they can be a great option. If someone is particularly concerned about gut health, it could be a good one.” idea to limit the consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners.”

Keatley agrees, saying you don’t need to avoid artificial sweeteners entirely, but that it’s a good idea to pay attention to how much you’re consuming. “Just like anything else, these substances should be used in moderation,” he says.

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