Sweeteners sucralose and stevia may impact metabolic health across generations

New research involving mice suggests that the widely used non-nutritive sweeteners sucralose and stevia may have long-term biological impacts that extend across generations. The study, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, found that these additives can alter the gut microbiome, reduce the production of beneficial substances by gut bacteria, and influence gene activity related to metabolism and inflammation.

Researchers observed that some of these biological changes persisted in subsequent generations of mice, even though those later generations were only given plain water and never consumed the sweeteners themselves. Dr. Francisca Concha Celume of the Universidad de Chile, the study's lead author, noted that while this does not prove sweeteners are responsible for rising obesity and insulin resistance trends, it raises questions about how these additives influence metabolism in ways that are not yet fully understood.

The study utilized animal models to control environmental variables and track oral glucose tolerance and gene activity across two successive generations.