The Toxic Effects Of Artificial Sweeteners On The Gut Microbiome

I’ve had concerns about artificial sweeteners for a long time. When they first came, I thought, “Well, the jury is still out. Let’s see how these things pan out.” Then, the reports started to come through. There were all sorts of neurological problems associated with artificial sweeteners. Many people began to get quite sick using these products.

Then research showed that some artificial sweeteners are quite toxic – including their impacts on insulin sensitivity and the gut. Artificial sweeteners have also been linked to obesity and cravings for sugar. People who drink beverages with artificial sweeteners are going to be in for a rough time as they get older.

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I found an interesting study conducted in October 2018. It was a university-based study described as follows: “The collaborative study indicated the relative toxicity of six artificial sweeteners, aspartame, sucralose, saccharine, neotame, advantame, and acesulfame potassium-k and 10 sport supplements containing artificial sweeteners.” Turns out that gut bacteria became toxic when exposed to concentrations of as little as 1 milligram per ml of the artificial sweeteners. There was a significant reduction in levels of beneficial bacteria in people consuming artificial sweeteners.

My recommendation for you folks out there is to avoid artificial sugars altogether. Be on the lookout for these sweeteners. You’ll find them in gum, you’ll find them in candies, you’ll find them in soda drinks, you’ll find them in many packaged foods.

The other problem with the widespread use of artificial sweeteners is that they are entering drinking water, groundwater, and even surface water. This happened with Prozac previously and now is happening with artificial sweeteners. It can be hard to avoid consuming these chemicals because they are in our water supply. At least don’t make things even more difficult for your gut by consuming foods or beverages with added artificial sweeteners.

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