--- title: "Scientists Just Discovered Something Horrifying About Artificial Sweeteners" description: "Some commonly used artificial sweeteners could potentially cause serious health issues by making the bacteria in our gut invade the intestinal walls." date: "2021-06-25" modified: "2021-06-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/scientists-artificial-sweeteners-pathogenic-bacteria" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Studies" tags: - "aspartame" - "gut bacteria" - "pathogens" --- # Scientists Just Discovered Something Horrifying About Artificial Sweeteners ![Some commonly used artificial sweeteners could potentially cause serious health issues by making the bacteria in our gut invade the intestinal walls.]() *\Image: Futurism\* According to a new study, some of the most commonly used artificial sweeteners could potentially cause serious health issues by making the bacteria in our gut invade our intestinal walls. The study underlines that there's still [a lot we don't understand]() about the sweeteners being added to many diet products — and demonstrates that further research is needed. "There is a lot of concern about the consumption of artificial sweeteners, with some studies showing that sweeteners can affect the layer of bacteria which support the gut, known as the gut microbiota," said Havovi Chichger, senior lecturer in Biomedical Science at Anglia Ruskin University in the UK, lead author of [a paper]() about the research published in the *International Journal of Molecular Sciences,* in [a press blurb](). The sweeteners — including the ultra-popular saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame — were shown for the first time to cause two types of gut bacteria, E. coli and E. faecalis, to go pathogenic. These pathogenic bacteria were then able to attach themselves to, take over, and subsequently kill Caco-2 cells, which are the cells that line the walls of the intestines. All it took was the concentration equivalent of two cans of a diet soft drink. In fact, all three artificial sweeteners increased the adhesion of both kinds of bacteria to the cells of the intestinal walls. All three sweeteners also increased the formation of biofilms, which made them less sensitive to antimicrobial resistance treatment. Pathogenic gut bacteria attacking the intestinal walls could be really bad news. [Previous research]() has shown that E. faecalis bacteria that cross the intestinal wall can cause a number of infections, including septicaemia, more commonly known as blood poisoning. "These changes could lead to our own gut bacteria invading and causing damage to our intestine, which can be linked to infection, sepsis and multiple-organ failure," Chichger said. In other words, soft drinks with actual sugars in them may be the healthier option after all. ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()