They allow you to get the taste of sugar from foods and beverages without the elevated blood sugar levels or calories. But a new study suggests this may not be the case; artificial sweeteners could actually promote obesity and diabetes.
The research team, including Eran Elinav of the Department of Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, recently published their findings in the journal Nature.
Because artificial sweeteners are low calorie and do not contain carbohydrates, they are often recommended to help with weight loss or to treat or prevent metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes.
However, Elinav and colleagues note that, although some studies support such recommendations, others have indicated that artificial sweeteners actually increase weight gain and raise the risk of metabolic disorders. A study from the Washington University School of Medicine published last year claimed the artificial sweetener sucralose is linked to increased glucose and insulin levels.
“Despite the controversial data, the FDA approved six NAS (non-caloric artificial sweetener) products for use in the US,” the researchers note. These are saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, advantame, neotame and acesulfame potassium.
In this latest study, the team investigated how artificial sweeteners affected the metabolism of mice. For 11 weeks, some mice were supplied with drinking water supplemented with an artificial sweetener – either saccharin, sucralose or aspartame – and glucose, while others drank just water alone or water containing only sugar.
The team found that the mice that drank the water containing glucose and an artificial sweetener developed glucose intolerance – elevated blood sugar levels, whereas the mice that drank water alone or water containing only sugar did not.
