Research Increased diabetes risk from sweeteners

Increased diabetes risk due to sweeteners?

09/18/2014

Sweeteners are used not only by people who want to fight their overweight, but also by many diabetics. But according to a new study, the artificial sweeteners may also trigger glucose intolerance, a precursor to diabetes.

Sweeteners apparently harmful to certain intestinal bacteria
Sweeteners are enjoying increasing popularity in many countries: Lean people want to stay slim, people with obesity and obesity want to lose pounds, diabetics want to keep their illness under control. However, as a new study shows, sweeteners as a sugar substitute do not lower the risk of diabetes, but could even increase it. In the Wednesday in the journal „Nature“ published study says that the artificial substances are apparently harmful to certain intestinal bacteria. In addition, they would lead to glucose intolerance. The body is no longer able to properly utilize carbohydrates such as sugar.

Re-evaluate the use of such additives
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel undertook experiments with mice and a small group of trial participants for their study. According to the research team led by Eran Elinav, the investigations have shown that the substances saccharin, sucralose and aspartame could alter the composition of the bacteria in the gut and their function. As the researchers further report, this may disturb the regulation of blood sugar levels, which subsequently increase. Therefore, they advise to reassess the use of such additives in foods. Currently, include the calorie-free, artificial sweeteners „the most widely used additives worldwide“, so the scientists.

Investigations on mice and humans
To come to their conclusions, the researchers transferred the drinking water of mice with the three sweeteners mentioned. Mice that received pure water or sugary water were used as a control group. It turned out that in the animals that consumed sweetener, the blood sugar level increased over eleven weeks, but not in the control group. When the scientists killed intestinal bacteria to study their influence, the consumption of sweeteners no longer affected blood sugar levels. In a test with seven people who consumed foods containing sweeteners for a week, most of them rose in five to seven days, the blood sugar level and the intestinal flora changed.

Health recommendations did not change as a result of the study
Nita Forouhi from Cambridge University commented „Nature“-Article and said that the new study shows that sweeteners may not be the „harmless miracle weapon against obesity and diabetes“ are. Both she and other scientists emphasized that due to the small number of subjects and the short duration of the study, the study does not allow any real conclusions. Therefore, previous health recommendations should not be changed based solely on the new study. Brand new is the suspicion that sweeteners may increase the risk of diabetes, not. For example, a French study published last year by the medicine research institute INSERM showed that consumers of both sweetened and sweetener soft drinks had a higher risk of diabetes than women who preferred unsweetened fruit juices. (Ad)

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