A shocking new study has revealed that a sweetener used in cakes, soft drink and chewing gums can have a dangerous impact on your gut. According to researchers, the sweetener, neotame, can lead to irritable bowel syndrome, insulin resistance, and even sepsis.
The researchers also found that some of the new sweeteners that give food products a super-sweet taste can have a “toxic effect” on health.
Dr Havovi Chichger, the senior author of the study, said, as quoted by The Guardian, that while sweeteners could be a healthier alternative to sugar, some could harm consumers.
In 2002, Neotame was developed as a substitute for aspartame, a sweetener that has aroused concerns. Over the years, Neotame became a widely used sweetener in drinks and foodstuffs sold in the UK. It is often referred to as E961 on the list of ingredients found on labels of products.
According to Chichger, an associate professor at Anglia Ruskin University, and the study’s co-author, Dr Aparna Shil, of Jahangirnagar University, in Bangladesh, neotame carried a threat to health as it could damage the intestine. It makes the “good bacteria” sick and invades the gut wall. Consequently, it could lead to illness because the epithelial barrier, part of the gut wall, could break down.
The findings of the study were published in the Nutrition journal. According to The Guardian, this is the first study to show that neotame can have that damaging impact on healthy gut bacteria.
Earlier research found that other common sweeteners such as saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame can also have that harmful effect.
The co-authors said further research was needed to look into “the toxic effects of some of the artificial sweeteners that have been developed more recently”, given their widespread use. Reportedly, some of the newest sweeteners in use produce a sweet taste that is 1,000 times sweeter than sugar.
According to Chichger, even a low intake of neotame might be harmful. “Even when we studied neotame at very low concentrations, 10 times lower than the acceptable daily intake, we saw the breakdown of the gut barrier and a shift in bacteria to a more damaging behaviour, including increased invasion of healthy gut cells leading to cell death. This can be linked to issues such as irritable bowel diseases and sepsis,” she said as quoted by The Guardian.
In 2010, the European Food Safety Authority ruled that neotame was “safe for use”. It has since been approved for use in more than 35 countries.