New research from Ohio State University finds that saccharin does not cause diabetes, allaying fears that the sweetener may do more harm than good.
Saccharin could be a working sugar alternative after all.
For those trying to live a healthy lifestyle, the choice between sugar and artificial sweeteners such as saccharin can be difficult. A new study led by researchers at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Ohio State University College of Medicine found that sugar substitute saccharin does not lead to the development of diabetes in healthy adults, as previous studies have shown. praise. The results of the study were published in the journal Microbiome.
“It’s not that the findings of previous studies are wrong, they didn’t have enough control over things like basic health conditions, diet choices and lifestyle habits,” said George Kyriazis, professor of biological chemistry and medicine at Ohio State and senior author of the study.
“By studying the artificial sweetener saccharin in healthy adults, we have found its effects and found no change in gut microbes or their metabolic profiles, as previously suggested. “
Kyriazis collaborated with researchers at Ohio State College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Ohio State College of Art and Sciences, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in California and the Translational Research Institute for Metabolism and Diabetes at Advent-Health in Florida.
Non-caloric artificial sweeteners are often eaten in place of dietary sugar, and saccharin is one of six artificial sweeteners approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The use of artificial sweeteners has skyrocketed in the past decade due to a growing awareness of the negative health consequences associated with eating too much sugar, study authors noted.
“Previous studies elsewhere have suggested that eating artificial sweeteners is associated with metabolic syndrome, weight gain, obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. These findings have raised concerns that eating them could cause adverse public health outcomes, and the lack of well-controlled intervention studies has added to the controversy, ”said first study author Joan Serrano, researcher in the department of biological chemistry and physiology in Ohio. State.
A total of 46 healthy adults aged 18–45 with body mass indexes of 25 or less completed the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Participants took capsules that contained the highest appropriate daily dose of saccharin or lactisole (a sweet taste receptor inhibitor), or saccharin with lactisole or placebo daily for two weeks. The maximum intake of saccharin per day is 400 milligrams per day, which is far more than the average consumer would consume.
The study excluded people with medical or chronic illnesses or taking medications that could affect metabolic activity, such as diabetes, bariatric surgery, inflammatory bowel disease or a history of malabsorption, and obesity. or nursing.
Researchers also experimented for 10 weeks on the effects of an even higher dose of saccharin in mice that do not genetically have sweet taste receptors, finding the same results: the artificial sweeteners did not affect glucose tolerance, or ‘it caused major gut microbiota changes or obvious adverse health effects. .
“On the other hand, sugar is well documented to contribute to obesity, heart disease and diabetes,” Kyriazis said. “So when we get the choice, artificial sweeteners like saccharin are clear winners based on the current scientific knowledge. “
The research team says future research will examine each FDA-approved sweetener on its own to see if there are any differences in how they are metabolized. Researchers will study these products over a longer period of time to make sure they are safe for everyday use.