A new study reveals that artificial sweeteners found in many food types, including candies, cakes, juices, and yogurt, may cause significant harm. The study published in *Frontiers in Nutrition* indicates that small doses of Neotame, derived from aspartame, can damage the intestines, leading to inflammation, insulin resistance, and even serious blood infections.
Dr. Havovi Chitchgar, an author from Anglia Ruskin University in the UK, stated, "There is now an increasing awareness of the health effects of sweeteners like saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame, with our previous work showing the problems they can cause in the intestinal wall and the damage to the beneficial bacteria that we have." Neotame is a newly approved sweetener by the Food and Drug Administration for use in most foods since 2002.
However, the study showed that the sweetener can harm the digestive system in several different ways; directly by causing the death of the cells lining the intestine that allow nutrient absorption. It also directly damages the "good" bacteria found in the gut microbiome, which are essential for digestion.
The study tested "Neotame" on some types of bacteria usually found in the microbiome and found that the sweetener affected the bacteria, causing them to behave abnormally. The researchers also combined the bacteria with intestinal cells in a dish and tested Neotame's effect, finding that the bacteria became toxic to the cells by adhering to them and sometimes entering them, resulting in cell death.
Aspartame, the older sibling of Neotame, has been particularly controversial, with some studies suggesting it may cause cancers, but often at doses higher than what most humans consume. The International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization classifies aspartame as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" based on limited evidence linking it to liver cancer development in humans. However, regulatory agencies generally summarize that there is no conclusive evidence that aspartame causes cancer at the doses typically consumed by humans.
