Cambridge Study Finds 39 Sweeteners Alter Gut Bacteria, With 100-Plus Drug Interactions
Updated
Updated · ScienceDaily · Jul 24
Cambridge Study Finds 39 Sweeteners Alter Gut Bacteria, With 100-Plus Drug Interactions
3 articles · Updated · ScienceDaily · Jul 24
Summary
Thirty-nine commercially used sweeteners directly changed the growth of gut bacteria in lab tests, with about three-quarters affecting at least one of 25 species studied.
More than 100 interactions emerged when researchers paired sweeteners with caffeine, flavorings, other sweeteners and eight drugs, showing the microbial impact can strengthen or weaken depending on what is consumed alongside them.
Isosteviol combined with duloxetine produced the strongest disruption, sharply suppressing Roseburia intestinalis and Parabacteroides merdae and reducing diversity in a synthetic 25-species gut community.
Additional cell experiments suggested that combination also increased toxicity toward some host cells and altered inflammatory and immune responses.
The Cambridge team said the findings, published in Molecular Systems Biology, come from in vitro models rather than people, so human studies are still needed to test whether these microbial shifts affect health.