Chemically manufactured sweeteners can significantly damage the intestinal flora. To this result comes a new one Study from the British Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge. According to the researchers, artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, sucralose and aspartame – which are primarily found in the diet versions of soft drinks – can encourage the intestinal bacteria to enter the intestinal cells. Focus first reported on it.
Eleven sweeteners are currently approved in the EU – but all have a state-regulated maximum dosage. The reason for this is that the long-term consequences of regular sweetener consumption have not yet been adequately researched. The study published this year now seems to prove that excessive consumption of artificial sweeteners leads to a pathogenic change in the intestinal bacteria – and in the worst case can cause the destruction of the intestinal walls.
Sweeteners have a negative effect on the intestinal flora
Sweeteners primarily interact with intestinal bacteria of the Escherichia coli (E.coli) and Enterococcus faecalis (E.faecalis) type. “There are many concerns about consumption of artificial sweeteners, with some studies showing that sweeteners can affect the layer of bacteria that supports the gut, known as the gut microbiome,” said study lead author Havovi Chichger.
The artificial sweeteners like saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame can interact with healthy bacteria in the gut. This can lead to increased adhesion of the intestinal bacteria. The adhesions form a tough bacterial film that covers the mucous membrane of the intestine and has a negative effect on the intestinal flora.
According to the study, just two doses of well-known light soft drinks could be enough to significantly increase the pathogenicity of E. coli and E. faecalis. Pathogenicity is understood as the basic ability of infectious substances to cause diseases in certain organisms.