Both sugar and sugar substitutes have been shown to put people at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes – that is, until now. New research suggests that a sugar substitute may not play any role in causing diabetes in healthy adults.
According to a new study published in the journal, Microbiome– conducted by researchers at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Ohio State University School of Medicine – says saccharin is an artificial sweetener that should no longer be a concern in relation to diabetes prevention. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. (Related: The vitamin that doctors recommend everyone take now.)
Why do artificial sweeteners get a bad name in the first place?
Saccharin is one of eight artificial sweeteners currently approved by the FDA, says Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, FAND, an award-winning nutrition and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The best cookbook of 3 ingredients.
If you’ve sprayed Sweet n ‘Low on your coffee cup, for example, you’ve tried the hyper-sweet substance. However, due to the increased use of non-calorie artificial sweeteners (NCAS) and sugar alcohols – which are used in many keto-friendly and sugar-free food products and drinks – research has repeatedly questioned the safety of these alternative sweeteners.
In addition to the fact that many are discouraged by the word “artificial” and are intrinsically skeptical about whether or not they can harm the body, there is also science that supports these fears.
“Some epidemiological studies and some intervention studies have shown positive correlations between NCAS consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes and other adverse metabolic outcomes,” George Kyriazis, Ph.D., assistant professor of biological chemistry and pharmacology in Ohio and senior author of the study, Eat this, not that!
Kyriazis says that a high-profile study, in particular, conducted mainly on mice, showed that NCAS quickly induced glucose intolerance – which causes high blood sugar levels – as indicated by direct and adverse changes in the composition of certain intestinal bacteria.
“However, from a scientific point of view, these variable outcomes and ambiguities may reflect differences in the NCAS used, in the characteristics of the population studied and in the diet followed, or other methodological considerations related to these reports”, explains Kyriazis. “So, our group decided to isolate these external variables and to develop a study using humans and mice that explores the independent effects of saccharine feeding on intestinal microbiota and glucose regulation.“
“In addition, the European Food Safety Authority, the FAO / WHO Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, the US FDA and the Food Standards of Australia, New Zealand and Health Canada consider saccharin and the other seven low sweeteners calories as insurance, “says Amidor.
What did this study find?
The researchers asked 46 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 45 with a body mass index of 25 (the limit for the normal range) to take one of three capsules every day for two weeks. Participants took the maximum acceptable daily amount of saccharin, lactisol (which inhibits the tongue from tasting anything sweet), saccharin with lactisol or a placebo.
“We found no effects of saccharin supplementation on glucose regulation and no change in the participants’ intestinal microbiota,” said Kyriazis. “It is important to note here that the intake of saccharin that we used in our study is practically more than double the average intake of the most avid saccharin consumers in the U.S.“
For the context, the maximum acceptable daily amount of saccharin is 400 milligrams, which is much more than anyone would regularly consume, as the artificial sweetener is significantly sweeter than table sugar.
“Because it is 200-700 times sweeter than sugar, you just need a touch to have the same sweetness as sugar,” says Amidor. “This study looked at the maximum amount of saccharin, which is much higher than anyone would consume at once.”
Kyriazis adds that it is also important to identify that his findings do not necessarily contradict previous reports that show some harmful metabolic effects of ingesting NCAS.
“Together, they point out that high consumption of NCAS can have negative health outcomes accommodated by other physiological or dietary parameters,” he explains. “Consequently, more intervention studies are needed to focus on isolating and identifying the physiological or lifestyle conditions that potentially make the use of NCAS harmful.”
In short, healthy adults who eat food or drink beverages sweetened with saccharin from time to time should not be too concerned about long-term adverse side effects.
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