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Original story appeared on Delish.com.
Artificial sweeteners have been used in many low-calorie foods because of the obvious benefit they offer — without all the sugar and calories, they'll keep you from gaining weight. Right?
Not exactly. A study published this week in the journal Nature concludes that by altering the natural composition of bacteria in the gut, low-calorie sweeteners can cause higher blood glucose levels and eventually increase glucose intolerance, which can then lead to type 2 diabetes.
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The study, which used both mice and humans as subjects, tested several popular sweeteners including Sweet 'n Low, NutraSweet and Splenda, and showed that each raised the participants' blood glucose levels when compared to subjects who consumed only sugar and water. And higher than normal blood glucose levels can be a sign of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. What's more, because these artificially sweet alternatives altered the bacteria in the subjects' stomachs, it also affected their metabolisms and raised the risk of obesity and other metabolic conditions.
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In short, there's no conclusive evidence that putting Splenda in your morning coffee will cause health problems, but these findings are certainly cause for concern. Until more research is done, it's not a bad idea to stick to regular sugar—and perhaps it's time to rethink just how sweet your morning coffee needs to be.
[h/t The Daily Meal.]
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