Do Artificial Sweeteners Harm Your Good Gut Bacteria?

Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes that are added to foods and drinks to make them taste sweet.

They provide that sweetness without any extra calories, making them an appealing choice for people who are trying to lose weight.

All sorts of everyday foods and products contain artificial sweeteners, including candy, soda, toothpaste and chewing gum.

However, in recent years artificial sweeteners have generated controversy. People are starting to question whether they are as safe and healthy as scientists first thought.

One of their potential problems is that they may disrupt the balance of beneficial bacteria in your gut.

This article takes a look at the current research and examines whether artificial sweeteners change your gut bacteria, as well as how these changes might impact your health.

Your Gut Bacteria May Affect Your Health and Weight

The bacteria in your gut play a major role in many of your body’s processes (1, 2).

Beneficial bacteria are known to protect your gut against infection, produce important vitamins and nutrients and even help regulate your immune system.

An imbalance of bacteria, in which your gut contains fewer healthy bacteria than normal, is called dysbiosis (3, 4).

Dysbiosis has been linked to a number of gut problems, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and coeliac disease (5).

Recent studies have also suggested that dysbiosis may play a role in how much you weigh (6, 7).

Scientists examining gut bacteria have found that normal-weight people tend to have different patterns of bacteria in their guts than overweight people (4).

Twin studies comparing the gut bacteria of overweight and normal-weight identical twins have found the same phenomenon, indicating that these differences in bacteria are not genetic (8).

Moreover, when scientists transferred the bacteria from the guts of identical human twins to mice, the mice that received bacteria from the overweight twins gained weight, even though all the mice were fed the same diet (6).

This may be because the type of bacteria in the guts of overweight people are more efficient at extracting energy from the diet, so the people with these bacteria get more calories from a certain amount of food (4, 9).

Emerging research also suggests that your gut bacteria may be linked to a wide range of other health conditions, including arthritis, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer (4).

SUMMARY:The balance of beneficial bacteria in your gut may play an important role in your health and weight.

Artificial Sweeteners May Change the Balance of Your Gut Bacteria

Most artificial sweeteners travel through your digestive system undigested and pass out of your body unchanged (10).

Because of this, scientists have long thought they have no effects on the body.

However, recent research has revealed that artificial sweeteners may influence your health by changing the balance of bacteria in your gut.

Scientists have found that animals fed artificial sweeteners experience changes to their gut bacteria. The researchers tested sweeteners including Splenda, acesulfame potassium, aspartame and saccharin (11, 12, 13, 14).

In one study, scientists found that when mice ate the sweetener saccharin, the numbers and types of bacteria in their guts changed, including a reduction in some beneficial bacteria (14).

Interestingly, in the same experiment, these changes weren't seen in the mice fed sugar water.

The researchers also noted that people who eat artificial sweeteners have different profiles of bacteria in their guts than those who don't. However, it's still not clear if or how artificial sweeteners might cause these changes (10, 15).

However, the effects of artificial sweeteners on gut bacteria may vary widely from person to person.

Initial human studies have indicated that only some people may experience changes to their gut bacteria and health when they consume these sweeteners (10, 16).

SUMMARY:In mice, artificial sweeteners have been shown to change the balance of bacteria in the gut. However, more human studies are needed to determine their effects in people.

They Have Been Linked to Obesity and Several Diseases

Artificial sweeteners are often recommended as a sugar substitute for people who are trying to lose weight (17).

However, questions have been raised about their effects on weight.

In particular, some people have noted a link between artificial sweetener consumption and an increased risk of obesity, as well as other conditions like stroke, dementia and type 2 diabetes (18, 19).

Obesity

Artificial sweeteners are often used by people who are trying to lose weight.

However, some people have suggested that artificial sweeteners may actually be linked to weight gain (20, 21).

So far, human studies have found conflicting results. Some observational studies have linked eating artificial sweeteners to an increase in body mass index (BMI), while others have linked it to a modest decrease in BMI (21, 22, 23, 24).

Results from experimental studies have also been mixed. Overall, replacing high-calorie foods and sugar-sweetened beverages with ones containing artificial sweeteners seems to have a beneficial effect on BMI and weight (25, 26).

However, a recent review couldn't find any clear benefit of artificial sweeteners on weight, so more long-term studies are needed (23).

Type 2 Diabetes

Artificial sweeteners have no immediate measurable effects on blood sugar levels, so they’re considered a safe sugar alternative for those with diabetes (27).

However, concerns have been raised that artificial sweeteners could increase insulin resistance and glucose intolerance (19).

A group of scientists found that glucose intolerance increased in mice fed an artificial sweetener. That is, the mice became less able to stabilize their blood sugar levels after eating sugar (14).

The same group of researchers also found that when germ-free mice were implanted with the bacteria of the glucose intolerant mice, they also became glucose intolerant.

Some observational studies in humans have found that frequent long-term consumption of artificial sweeteners is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (21, 28, 29).

However, currently the link between type 2 diabetes and artificial sweeteners is just an association. More studies are required to determine whether artificial sweeteners cause an increased risk (30).

Stroke

Artificial sweeteners have been linked to an increase in risk factors for heart disease, including stroke (21, 23, 31, 32).

A study recently found that people who drank one artificially sweetened drink per day had up to three times the risk of stroke, compared to people who drank less than one drink per week (33).

However, this study was observational, so it can't determine whether consuming artificial sweeteners actually caused the increased risk.

Additionally, when researchers looked at this link over the long term and took other factors related to the risk of stroke into account, they found that the link between artificial sweeteners and stroke wasn't significant (34).

Currently, there is little evidence to support a link between artificial sweeteners and the risk of stroke. More studies are required to clarify this.

Dementia

There isn't a lot of research on whether there’s a link between artificial sweeteners and dementia.

However, the same observational study that recently linked artificial sweeteners to stroke also found an association with dementia (34).

As with stroke, this link was only seen before the numbers were fully adjusted to take into consideration other factors that can increase your risk of developing dementia, such as type 2 diabetes (35).

Additionally, there are no experimental studies that can demonstrate cause and effect, so more research is required to determine if these sweeteners can cause dementia.

SUMMARY:Artificial sweeteners have been linked to a number of health conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, stroke and dementia. However, the evidence is observational and doesn’t take other potential causes into account. 

Are Artificial Sweeteners Less Harmful Than Sugar?

Despite the concerns about artificial sweeteners, it's worth noting that consuming too much added sugar is known to be harmful.

In fact, most government guidelines recommend limiting your added sugar intake due to the health risks associated with it.

Eating too much added sugar has been associated with an increased risk of cavities, obesity, type 2 diabetes, poorer mental health and risk markers for heart disease (36, 37, 38, 39).

We also know that reducing your added sugar intake can have significant health benefits and reduce your risk of disease (40).

On the other hand, artificial sweeteners are still considered a safe option for most people (41).

They may also help people who are trying to reduce their sugar intake and lose weight, at least in the short term.

However, there is some evidence linking a long-term high intake of artificial sweeteners to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (21, 28, 29).

If you are concerned, your healthiest option is to reduce your consumption of both sugar and artificial sweeteners.

SUMMARY:Swapping added sugar for artificial sweeteners may help people who are trying to lose weight and improve their dental health.

Should You Eat Artificial Sweeteners?

The short-term use of artificial sweeteners hasn't been shown to be harmful.

They may help you reduce your calorie intake and protect your teeth, especially if you consume a lot of sugar.

However, evidence on their long-term safety is mixed, and they may disrupt the balance of your gut bacteria.

Overall, there are pros and cons to artificial sweeteners, and whether you should consume them comes down to individual choice.

If you already consume artificial sweeteners, feel fine and are happy with your diet, there is no concrete evidence that you should stop.

Nevertheless, if you have concerns about glucose intolerance or are worried about their long-term safety, you may want to cut sweeteners out of your diet or try switching to natural sweeteners.

Are Energy Drinks the New ‘Gateway Drug’?

A new study shows that college students who consume a lot of energy drinks are more likely to become addicted to certain drugs or alcohol later.

Is it the energy drink?

Or is it the person?

Or is it both?

Those are some of the questions surrounding a new study that found that college students who consume a lot of energy drinks are more likely to become addicted to other substances as they get older.

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Public Health surveyed nearly 1,100 college students for five years.

They tracked the students from the age of 21 until the age of 25.

About 51 percent of the students were heavy consumers of energy drinks. Another 17 percent were somewhat moderate users, while 20 percent didn’t consume the caffeine-laden drinks. The rest were students whose use declined over that time period.

The researchers said the students who drank a lot of energy drinks over a long period of time had a significantly higher risk of using cocaine or nonmedical prescription stimulants after they turned 25.

Those students also had a higher risk of alcohol abuse.

However, they did not have a higher risk of tobacco or marijuana use.

Amelia Arria, PhD, an associate professor of behavioral and community health, told Healthline more study is needed to determine the exact causes of this connection.

However, she said the results do raise some red flags.

“I think this is a reason to be conscious of energy drink consumption,” said Arria, who is also director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development at the university.

So, what’s up with these energy drinks?

Arria points to the energy drinks themselves as perhaps the main culprits.

She said her research took into account things such as past substance abuse to avoid skewing the results.

She also noted that students who either decreased their energy drink use or stopped it altogether had a lower risk of future substance abuse.

Arria said researchers aren’t yet sure how energy drinks might lead to addictions, but she noted the high caffeine levels in these popular liquids.

She said it’s possible the caffeine or other ingredients in energy drinks might in essence mimic the effects of certain drugs.

“It might intensify the feelings to want those substances,” she said.

Arria added this might also explain why the energy drinks didn’t lead to marijuana use or alcohol abuse. 

The person and the environment

There’s also the argument that the type of person who pounds down energy drinks is the type of person who is likely to abuse drugs or alcohol.

Alexis Tindall, RD, LD, the lead clinician at the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio, told Healthline a person’s family history or other issues can be a factor.

She said it’s similar to other health-related problems such as eating disorders.

“It’s all about an addiction to something,” Tindall said.

She also noted a college campus environment can fuel an indulgence such as energy drinks.

The product is readily available and lots of other folks are using it.

“The environmental component is huge,” she said.

Tindall added that energy drinks might also seem harmless, even healthy, to these college students.

They perhaps aren’t aware of the ingredients or the side effects of things such as excessive caffeine.

College students’ sleep schedules, she added, might also play a part in energy drink consumption. Students may need a jolt after an all-night study session and crave the caffeine.

The immediate health problems can include heart issues and high blood pressure.

Then, when a student leaves that college environment, they may want to trade their energy drink addiction for something else.

Sometimes, something as dangerous as cocaine.

“There’s an alarming and scary component to all this,” said Tindall.

Arria hopes the study helps get the word out.

“The public should be aware of the risks,” she said.

Has the Modern Western Diet Permanently Damaged Our Health?

By studying the microbiome of existing hunter-gatherer tribes, researchers draw a link between poor quality diets and a host of health issues.

It’s long been thought that what’s happening inside our gut could determine our overall health.

Now, researchers from Stanford University may have found out why, and it’s because of our gut microbiome, or lack thereof.

Your microbiome is made up of the thousands of microorganisms that take up residence in the digestive system. These microscopic organisms are present from the moment you’re born and are then shaped by dietary and other factors for the remainder of your life.

“Stretched out, the human intestines have the surface area of a small garden. Imagine now trillions of microbes on the surface, interfacing with the human body… there are huge implications for energy harvesting, education of the immune system, and chronic inflammatory diseases, among many others,” Sam Smits, PhD, a researcher at Stanford University, told Healthline.

The effects of our modern diet on gut health

The human diet has radically changed over the past 15,000 years thanks to the advent of agriculture. In just the past century, the introduction of antibiotics, cesarean births, an increase in sedentary activity, and the slow replacement of fiber-rich foods, fruits, and vegetables with processed, fiber-free options, has also led to significant changes in the human body.

Stanford researchers wanted to see how diet impacts our microbiome. To do that they examined a group of hunter-gatherers in Tanzania known as the Hadza.

“Surviving hunter-gatherer populations are the closest available proxy to a time machine we in the modern industrialized world can climb into to learn about the ways of our human remote ancestors,” Justin Sonnenburg, PhD, associate professor of microbiology and immunology, and lead author of the study, said in a press release.

Members of the Hadza group who stick to the traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle have a diet that consists mainly of meat, berries, tubers, and honey. The Hadza diet is at the mercy of the seasons — in the dry season meat is eaten more, while in the wet season berries play a larger role.

The researchers collected 350 stool samples from members of the Hadza over one year. They found that their gut microbiome is different from and more diverse than that of people living in the industrialized world. They also found that specific types of bacteria present for the Hadza in the dry season is almost entirely extinct in the vast majority of people living in the industrialized world.

So does it matter that those living in the Western world are missing some of these microbial species? According to Dr. Eugene B. Chang, AGAF, scientific advisory board member for the American Gastroenterological Association Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education, it could be.

“[People] consuming Western-type diets may be losing key microbial species that are important for maintenance of health. Now with consumption of high-fat, high-refined sugar diets, and low-fiber Western diets, those critical microbial groups are lost… this results in mismatches and absence of key microbes that are essential for health,” he said.

The Stanford research is one of a number of studies in recent years that suggest diet and gut health play an important role in overall well-being.

“There was accumulating evidence in disparate studies that the microbiotas possessed by traditional and industrialized population are different in terms of composition. There is also evidence that there is a significant rise in chronic diseases within Western populations. We also know that the microbiota may play a key role in many of these diseases. Together then, this evidence suggests that the microbiotas that industrialized populations possess do not provide protective properties against these diseases that are on the rise,” Smits told Healthline.

Gut health linked to a host of diseases

If the gut microbiome become abnormal, or form improperly, it can have significant consequences for overall health.

“It can have negative effects that can potentially contribute to, or trigger, developmental problems in immunity and metabolism, complex immune disorders (inflammatory bowel diseases, type 1 diabetes), liver diseases, obesity, under-nutrition, diabetes, and cardiovascular disorders,” Chang said.

A 2016 study, also led by Sonnenburg, showed that depriving mice of dietary fiber greatly reduced the diversity of gut-microbial species. This was then restored when dietary fiber was reintroduced. However, if the fiber deprivation was maintained for four generations, the gut-microbial species that once bounced back were lost permanently.

A similar phenomenon could be occurring inside the guts of those in the Western world, and the evolution of our diet has played a significant role.

“Hunter-gatherers had to live on what was available. The diets were limited to what was seasonally available and hence the seasonal variation in their gut microbiomes. In Western societies, we can change our environment and are no longer dependent on finding food. We can go to the grocery store, choose from many varieties of products, and know that they are available any time of the year. Our choices are often guided by what is inexpensive, convenient, and satisfying which translates into ready-packaged, processed, high-fat, high-caloric, low-fiber, and inexpensive foods,” Chang said.

In many ways, it could be argued that the Hadza diet is much healthier than the typical diets of those in the Western world: no processed food, no refined sugars, and a large intake of dietary fiber.

“The Hadza get 100 or more grams of fiber a day in their food on average. We average 15 grams per day,” Sonnenburg said. 

But attempting to restore the missing gut microbiome that may be leaving us exposed to certain diseases may not be as easy as replicating the Hadza diet.

“Changing people’s diets and lifestyles in Western societies is not practical, because they won’t do it,” Chang told Healthline.

“However, we might be able to replenish missing components of their gut microbiome and keep them around by supplementing their diets with certain types, and sufficient amounts of, dietary fiber supplements, using microbiome analysis to determine how this regimen can be tweaked.”

The Health Benefits of Holy Basil

Holy basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum) isn’t like the sweet basil in your mom’s marinara sauce or the Thai herb you use to flavor a steaming bowl of pho. This green leafy plant, also known as Ocimum sanctum L. and tulsi, is native to Southeast Asia. It has a history within Indian medicine as a treatment for many conditions, from eye diseases to ringworms.

From the leaves to the seed, holy basil is considered a tonic for the body, mind, and spirit. Different parts of the plant are recommended for treating different conditions:

• Use its fresh flowers for bronchitis.
• Use the leaves and seeds, with black pepper, for malaria.
• Use the whole plant for diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
• Use the pill and ointment form for eczema.
• Use an alcohol extract for stomach ulcers and eye diseases.
• Use an essential oil made from the leaves for insect bites.

Many studies support the use of the entire plant of holy basil for human use and its therapeutic value. The nutritional value is also high, as it contains:

• vitamin A and C
• calcium
• zinc
• iron
• chlorophyll

Always talk to your doctor before taking supplements. Like many supplements, holy basil is not approved as a first-line treatment. It may also interact with medications you’re already taking.

Read on to learn why holy basil is called the “Queen of Herbs.”

BRAIN BENEFITS

Reduce stress and anxiety

All parts of the holy basil plant act as an adaptogen. An adaptogen is natural substance that helps your body adapt to stress and promotes mental balance. The concept of an adaptogen is a holistic approach. But scientific research shows that holy basil has pharmacological properties to help your mind cope with many types of stress.

The source of your stress can be:

• chemical
• physical
• infectious
• emotional

In the case of physical stress, holy basil is known to increase endurance in animals. Animals who had holy basil leaf extracts and went through environment-induced stress scenarios showed:

• enhanced metabolism
• improved swimming time
• less tissue damage
• lower stress levels in loud environments

Human and animal studies saw reduced:

• stress
• sexual problems
• sleep problems
• forgetfulness
• exhaustion

According to the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, holy basil has antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties comparable to diazepam and antidepressant drugs. These studies examined the leaves. One study found that people who took 500 milligrams (mg) of holy basil extract each day felt less anxious, stressed, and depressed. People also felt more social.

Ayurvedic practitioners recommend drinking holy basil as tea using the leaves. And since it’s caffeine-free, it’s okay and even recommended to drink daily. The act of drinking tea can be ritualistic and as calming as yoga. It fosters clear thoughts, relaxation, and a sense of well-being.

But if the basil’s bitter and spicy flavor isn’t your cup of tea, a supplement in pill form or as an alcohol extract is available. There is less risk of contamination when taking an herb in natural form.

BODY BENEFITS

Stimulate and vitalize your body

Holy basil is also high in anti-oxidants and helps your body detox. Studies show that holy basil can protect your body against toxic chemicals. It may also prevent cancer by reducing the growth of cancerous cells.

Protect against infection and treat wounds

Extracts made from its leaves are thought to boost wound healing speed and strength. Holy basil is:

• antibacterial
• antiviral
• antifungal
• anti-inflammatory
• analgesic (a painkiller)

Some people even use holy basil after surgery to heal and protect their wounds. Holy basil increases your wound’s breaking strength, healing time, and contraction. Breaking strength refers to how much pressure or weight a wound can take before it breaks.

Research shows that holy basil may work against infections and wounds, such as:

• mouth ulcers
• keloids
• raised scars
• acne

Lower your blood sugar

If you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes, all parts of the holy basil plant can help reduce your blood sugar. Animal and human trials have shown that holy basil can help prevent symptoms of diabetes such as:

• weight gain
• hyperinsulinemia, or excess insulin in the blood
• high cholesterol
• insulin resistance
• hypertension

In these studies, rats that received holy basil extract saw a 24 percent decrease in blood sugar after 30 days. Blood sugar in rats that were fed holy basil leaf powder also decreased after a month.

Talk to your doctor before adding holy basil to your diet. If you’re already taking medications to control blood sugar, it may lower your blood sugar levels even more.

Lower your cholesterol

Since holy basil targets metabolic stress, it can also help with weight loss and cholesterol levels. Animal studies saw significant changes in rabbits’ fat molecules when they ate fresh holy basil leaves. They had lower “bad” cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) and higher “good” cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol).

One animal study found that the oil in holy basil (eugenol) lowers stress-induced cholesterol levels. There was a reduction of total cholesterol in the kidney, liver, or heart in rats with and without diabetes after they ate holy basil leaf powder.

Ease inflammation and joint pain

Imagine being able to tackle stress, anxiety, and inflammation with a relaxing cup of tea made with the leaves of holy basil. As an adaptogen with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, holy basil provides all of these benefits. It can even help people with arthritis or fibromyalgia.

Protect your stomach

Holy basil can counteract the effects of stress-induced ulcers. It naturally increases your stomach’s defense by:

• decreasing stomach acid
• increasing mucus secretion
• increasing mucus cells
• extending life of mucus cells

Many drugs for peptic ulcers have side effects and can cause discomfort in some people. Holy basil may be a preferred alternative. One animal study showed that 200 mg of holy basil extract reduced both the number and index of ulcers significantly in two-thirds of the animals.

HOW TO USE

Adding holy basil to your self-care

Supplements of holy basil extract are available in pill or capsule form. The suggested dosage ranges from 300 mg to 2,000 mg per day for general preventative purposes. When used as a treatment, the recommended dosage is 600 mg to 1,800 mg taken in multiple doses throughout the day. All parts of the plant might be used in supplements and topical ointments.

Essential oil of holy basil is distilled from leaves and flowers of the plant.

You can also make holy basil tea using the leaves, flowers, or dried leaf powder. The herb can also be used to make freshly brewed tea by placing 2–3 teaspoons of holy basil in a cup of boiling water and letting it steep for 5–6 minutes.

The leaves are also commonly used in cooking, though some people eat the leaves raw. Holy basil tastes spicy and bitter.  

Safe use

Always make sure to speak with your doctor before incorporating holy basil or any other supplement into your diet. There is not enough research to recommend use for infants, children, and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Processing, quality, purity, and effectiveness of herbs or supplements are not monitored by the FDA.

Buy holy basil from a reputable source that’s grown organically in a rural, unpolluted environment. Holy basil grown in a polluted area may contain twice the toxicity.

No negative side effects have been reported during human clinical trials. However, you should avoid holy basil if you’re lactating, pregnant, or trying to conceive. Animal studies have shown that holy basil may affect fertility and stimulate uterine contractions.

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