Artificial Sweeteners and Gut Health: The Bitter Truth

No sugar. Zero sugar. Sugar-free. 

You’ll see those words in advertisements and on packages for all sorts of food and drink products. 

But what does that really mean? 

Here’s the tricky part. 

In many instances, it doesn’t mean that the product is unsweetened. 

Instead, it means that the product was made with a sugar substitute—in many cases, an artificial sweetener. 

But are artificial sweeteners good for you? What does it do to your body, especially to your gut health? 

Let’s find out how artificial sweeteners can affect your health and whether you should include them in your diet. 

What Are Artificial Sweeteners? 

Before we delve into how artificial sweeteners affect your gut, let’s take a closer look at what they are.  

Artificial sweeteners are synthesized (lab-made) substitutes for natural sugar. And in addition to the phrases we shared above, such as “no sugar,” you’ll also find them regularly used in products labeled low-calorie or “diet.” 

For the most part, they are much sweeter than sugar while also containing fewer, if any, calories. How much sweeter are they? At the low end, they can be 200 times sweeter than sugar; at the high end, they can be an outstanding 20,000 times sweeter than sugar!

Artificial sweeteners are sometimes known by other names, such as low-calorie sweeteners, non-nutritive sweeteners, sugar substitutes, and high-intensity sweeteners. 

Currently, there are 6 artificial sweeteners approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

You might see one of these listed as an ingredient in certain foods:  

• Acesulfame-KL
• Advantame
• Aspartame
• Neotame
• Saccharin
• Sucralose

However, you might know them better by some of the more common brand names: 

• Equal
• Sweet’N Low
• NutraSweet
• Splenda

Now, let’s see what these artificial sweeteners can do to your body.

The Basics of Gut Health

To understand how artificial sweeteners affect your gut health, it helps to be aware of how your gut functions and what keeps it healthy.  

Regardless of how healthy you may feel, your entire body is teeming with trillions of bacteria—even while you’re reading this. They live on your skin, in your nasal passages, and, especially, in your gut microbiome. 

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some bacterial colonies are made up of beneficial (“good”) bacteria, which can support the health of your gut and immune system and promote your overall well-being.

Unfortunately, other colonies of bacteria are not so beneficial to your health. These are the colonies of pathogenic (“bad”) bacteria. 

Because of the limited space in your gut, the two types of colonies are always fighting for dominance, and when one flourishes, the other deteriorates. 

So how do you tip the balance to the side of the beneficial bacteria?

The key to a healthy gut is to eat foods that fuel good bacteria while avoiding those that nourish bad bacteria. 

Multiple scientific studies have shown that sugar is one of the most harmful foods to your gut, feeding harmful bacteria and leading to the decline of beneficial bacteria. 

The negative impact of sugar on your digestive health, as well as your physical and psychological well-being, is undeniable. 

But what about artificial sweeteners? Do they have the same harmful effect on your gut health?

Artificial Sweeteners and Gut Health

Artificial sweeteners rose to popularity as a sugar substitute, particularly among two groups of consumers. 

• Diet-conscious consumers who want to indulge in a sweet snack or soda. Artificial sweeteners are often the go-to ingredient in their food or drinks, adding flavor and sweetness without extra calories. Some may even choose a diet or low-calorie option without realizing that it contains an artificial sweetener, simply choosing it because it’s low in calories or fat without analyzing the ingredients.
• People who’ve heard the warnings about sugar and choose to follow a low-sugar or sugar-free diet. They skip over foods containing sugar and intentionally choose foods with artificial sweeteners, convinced that this is a better option than sugar.

But just because these groups choose artificial sweeteners over sugar doesn’t mean that they’re healthier… or are they? 

Let’s look at what artificial sweeteners do in your gut. 

Glucose Intolerance

A groundbreaking study, using mice, showed that the consumption of artificial sweeteners can result in glucose intolerance, a condition in which your body has trouble absorbing the sugar in your bloodstream (glucose). 

This leads to a high blood sugar level and the health conditions it can cause, including liver disease and heart disease.

Years later, a similar study was performed on humans, with the same conclusion. 

Study participants who were given saccharin and sucralose, specifically, showed marked differences in their gut bacteria. They also had large spikes in their blood sugar levels, indicating the possibility of glucose intolerance.

Obesity and Diabetes

As we highlighted earlier, artificial sweeteners are often found in food and drinks labeled as “diet” or “low calorie.” 

This can lead you to think these products will help you lose weight or maintain your current weight. And at first, you may find this may be true.

Eventually, however, the opposite can occur. 

A team of researchers studied the long-term effects of artificial sweeteners on mice and discovered that they impact the gut bacteria that control metabolism. 

More specifically, artificial sweeteners contribute to the growth of bacteria that store fat instead of turning it into energy, leading to weight gain and diabetes. 

The good news is that these effects are reversible. 

When the same group of mice were given antibiotics—which kill all bacteria, not just pathogenic bacteria—their gut microbiomes were eventually returned to their previous state. 

Other Impacts of Artificial Sweeteners

In addition to being harmful to your gut health, artificial sweeteners can impact your body in other ways. 

Possible Health Effects

Using artificial sweeteners on a long-term, daily basis has been linked to several health conditions. 

These include a higher risk of stroke, heart disease, and death. 

Taste Bud Changes

Products made with artificial sweeteners taste different. Oftentimes, they taste much sweeter than food or drinks made with natural sugar or sugar substitutes. 

Over time, this can cause your taste buds to adapt to a different taste profile, preferring sweeter foods over naturally flavored choices.

Dehydration

Surprisingly, the use of artificial sweeteners can lead to dehydration! 

When you get used to the taste of highly sweetened foods and drinks, plain water can become unappealing. You might find yourself reaching for a soda or juice instead of water, both of which offer less hydration than water. 

Special Note: Children And Artificial Sweeteners

Almost 25.1% of children in the U.S. drink beverages containing artificial sweeteners regularly, with over 80% consuming them on a daily basis. 

With that alarming statistic in mind, it’s important to keep in mind that the potentially harmful effects of artificial sweeteners pose an increased risk in children, due to their lower body weight and the risks associated with early exposure.

Children under the age of 2 should not consume artificial sweeteners at all, while children aged 2–18 should limit their consumption to less than 2 tablespoons per day. 

Reversing the Effects of Artificial Sweeteners

Undoubtedly, artificial sweeteners can have a harmful effect on your gut bacteria and gut health. 

Luckily, there are ways to overcome this and reverse the damage to your gut health. 

Most of the studies showed that by reducing or eliminating artificial sweeteners, you’ll stop feeding the colonies of bad bacteria and give the colonies of good bacteria room to grow, strengthen, and thrive. 

You can encourage this process by adding a daily probiotic supplement to your wellness routine. 

Probiotics are bacteria that are similar or identical to the beneficial bacteria already living in your gut microbiome. When you consume them, they join forces with the existing colonies of good bacteria, lending them strength and numbers. Eventually, these colonies will crowd out the bad bacteria, restoring a happy harmony to your gut microbiome. 

We’re big fans of this probiotic supplement from Just Thrive. 

The reason Just Thrive Probiotic is different from others is because it’s made up of four clinically-studied spore probiotics. This means they have a thick endospore shell that protects them from the bile, enzymes, and stomach acid your body uses to break down food and destroy bacteria, so it 100% arrives alive to your gut microbiome, ready to get to work! 

Final Thoughts

Artificial sweeteners, despite their calorie-free allure, may not be a healthy alternative to sugar. 

While more exploration is ongoing, there are plenty of potential pitfalls that can cause negative effects, particularly in your gut. 

The bacteria in your gut are especially sensitive to what you eat, and artificial sweeteners can disrupt the tentative harmony that exists between the colonies of beneficial bacteria and the colonies of pathogenic bacteria. 

Despite initially promising weight control, studies link artificial sweeteners to glucose intolerance, obesity, and altered gut bacteria. 

To counter these effects, you can reduce or eliminate artificial sweeteners, promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria through dietary changes, and consume probiotic supplements for gut restoration.

The key to your health lies within you and your food choices! 

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