sucralose, artificial sweeteners and gut complications like leaky gut syndrome

by gramms

When we started formulating gramms, we knew we wanted to stay away from artificial sweeteners like sucralose, even though at first we weren't sure exactly why. Friends and colleagues had anecdotally started steering clear of them and we wanted to learn more. When we started to dig into the research, we found studies starting to trace the connection between sucralose consumption and gut disruption, particularly leaky gut syndrome.

Leaky gut, also known as increased intestinal permeability, is when your gut lining gets damaged and starts letting stuff like bacteria, toxins, and undigested food bits sneak into your bloodstream. Not exactly ideal, right? It can stir up inflammation and potentially lead to various other health issues.

Now, as for sucralose, some studies and theories are hinting that it might mess with your gut health in ways that could amp up that permeability:

  1. Gut Microbiota Alterations: A study published in the journal Cell Metabolism in 2014 found that consumption of saccharin, sucralose, or aspartame in mice led to glucose intolerance by inducing changes in the composition and function of gut microbiota. The researchers observed that artificial sweeteners altered the gut microbiota in a way that promoted glucose intolerance, potentially through mechanisms involving microbial metabolism of artificial sweeteners and production of short-chain fatty acids.

  2. Insulin Response: A study published in Cell Metabolism in 2018 investigated the effects of sucralose consumption on insulin sensitivity in healthy individuals. The researchers found that acute ingestion of sucralose altered the glycemic response and insulin sensitivity compared to water or glucose in some participants, suggesting that even though sucralose itself doesn't add any calories or sugar to your diet, it might still mess with your body's handling of glucose – basically, your blood sugar levels.

It's important to note that while these studies suggest potential associations between artificial sweetener consumption and certain health outcomes, more research is needed to establish causality and better understand the underlying mechanisms. In the meantime, we're keeping artificial sweeteners out of our formulations.