Plausible Biological Interactions of Low- and Non-Calorie Sweeteners with the Intestinal Microbiota: An Update of Recent Studies

Abstract

Sweeteners that are a hundred thousand times sweeter than sucrose are being consumed as sugar substitutes. The effects of sweeteners on gut microbiota composition have not been completely elucidated yet, and numerous gaps related to the effects of nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS) on health still remain. The NNS aspartame and acesulfame-K do not interact with the colonic microbiota, and, as a result, potentially expected shifts in the gut microbiota are relatively limited, although acesulfame-K intake increases Firmicutes and depletes Akkermansia muciniphila populations. On the other hand, saccharin and sucralose provoke changes in the gut microbiota populations, while no health effects, either positive or negative, have been described; hence, further studies are needed to clarify these observations. Steviol glycosides might directly interact with the intestinal microbiota and need bacteria for their metabolization, thus they could potentially alter the bacterial population. Finally, the effects of polyols, which are sugar alcohols that can reach the colonic microbiota, are not completely understood; polyols have some prebiotics properties, with laxative effects, especially in patients with inflammatory bowel syndrome. In this review, we aimed to update the current evidence about sweeteners’ effects on and their plausible biological interactions with the gut microbiota.

NMR based real-time enzyme kinetics on estimating the inhibitory effect of sucralose in the enzymatic conversion of sucrose

“…The use of sucralose as a dietary replacement for natural sugar is widespread, as it is considered metabolically inert. Though sucralose has been shown to shift gut microbiota populations, its broader role on the biological mechanisms of action is not entirely understood [3][4][5][6]. Therefore, it is essential to investigate if the sucralose directly regulates or indirectly influences biology by altering the enzymatic conversion of sucrose, an essential precursor for gluconeogenesis.…”

Enhanced Heterologous Production of Glycosyltransferase UGT76G1 by Co-Expression of Endogenous prpD and malK in Escherichia coli and Its Transglycosylation Application in Production of Rebaudioside

“…At present, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose are widely used but have not displaced sugar because of their unfavorable effect on health including glucose intolerance and failure to cause weight reduction [6]. Steviol glycosides (SGs) as natural zero-calorie sweeteners with desirable high-intensity sweetness are recognized as the attractive sugar substitutes [7,8].…”

Nutrition, Microbiota and Noncommunicable Diseases

“…Barrientos-Duran et al [22] examined the most important aspect in the vaginal microbiota, with special emphasis in bacterial vaginosis, and the maintenance of eubiosis, and Sanchez-Rodriguez et al [23] discussed how external factors such as dietary and physical activity habits influence host microbiota and atherogenesis, the potential mechanisms of the influence of gut microbiota in host blood pressure, and the alterations in the prevalence of those bacterial genera affecting vascular tone and the development of hypertension. Finally, Plaza-Diaz et al [24] revisited the effects of sweeteners on gut microbiota.…”