Short-term impact of sucralose consumption on the metabolic response and gut microbiome of healthy adults
Open accessAbstract
Sucralose is an artificial non-nutritive sweetener used in foods aimed to reduce sugar and energy intake. While thought to be inert, the impact of sucralose on metabolic control has shown to be the opposite. The gut microbiome has emerged as a factor shaping metabolic responses after sweetener consumption. We examined the short-term effect of sucralose consumption on glucose homeostasis and gut microbiome of healthy male volunteers. We performed a randomised, double-blind study in thirty-four subjects divided into two groups, one that was administered sucralose capsules (780 mg/d for 7 d; n 17) and a control group receiving placebo (n 17). Before and after the intervention, glycaemic and insulinaemic responses were assessed with a standard oral glucose load (75 g). Insulin resistance was determined using homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance and Matsuda indexes. The gut microbiome was evaluated before and after the intervention by 16S rRNA sequencing. During the study, body weight remained constant in both groups. Glycaemic control and insulin resistance were not affected during the 7-d period. At the phylum level, gut microbiome was not modified in any group. We classified subjects according to their change in insulinaemia after the intervention, to compare the microbiome of responders and non-responders. Independent of consuming sucralose or placebo, individuals with a higher insulinaemic response after the intervention had lower Bacteroidetes and higher Firmicutes abundances. In conclusion, consumption of high doses of sucralose for 7 d does not alter glycaemic control, insulin resistance, or gut microbiome in healthy individuals. However, it highlights the need to address individual responses to sucralose.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In a small human study with healthy volunteers, short-term intake of sucralose did not elicit major changes in the gut microbiota composition.
“In a small human study with healthy volunteers, however, short-term intake of sucralose did not elicit major changes in the gut microbiota composition (104).”
From Diet and the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis: Sowing the Seeds of Good Mental Health (2021) · cites this paper as [104]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
DADA2: High–resolution sample inference from Illumina amplicon data
Callahan, B. J., McMurdie, P. J., Rosen, M. J., Han, A. W., Johnson, A. J. A., & Holmes, S. P. (2016) · Nature Methods · doi:10.1038/nmeth.3869 · Cited by 35,698 · see citing works
The SILVA ribosomal RNA gene database project: improved data processing and web-based tools
Quast, C., Pruesse, E., Yilmaz, P., Gerken, J., Schweer, T., Yarza, P., Peplies, J., & Glöckner, F. O. (2012) · Nucleic Acids Research · doi:10.1093/nar/gks1219 · Cited by 33,055 · see citing works
Matthews, D. R., Hosker, J. P., Rudenski, A. S., Naylor, B. A., Treacher, D. F., & Turner, R. C. (1985) · Diabetologia · doi:10.1007/bf00280883 · Cited by 31,502 · see citing works
Naive Bayesian Classifier for Rapid Assignment of rRNA Sequences into the New Bacterial Taxonomy
Wang, Q., Garrity, G. M., Tiedje, J. M., & Cole, J. R. (2007) · Applied and Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1128/aem.00062-07 · Cited by 19,770 · see citing works
An obesity-associated gut microbiome with increased capacity for energy harvest
Turnbaugh, P. J., Ley, R. E., Mahowald, M. A., Magrini, V., Mardis, E. R., & Gordon, J. I. (2006) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature05414 · Cited by 12,444 · see citing works
Human gut microbes associated with obesity
Ley, R. E., Turnbaugh, P. J., Klein, S., & Gordon, J. I. (2006) · Nature · doi:10.1038/4441022a · Cited by 8,785 · see citing works
Matsuda, M., & DeFronzo, R. A. (1999) · Diabetes Care · doi:10.2337/diacare.22.9.1462 · Cited by 5,621 · see citing works
Everard, A., Belzer, C., Geurts, L., Ouwerkerk, J. P., Druart, C., Bindels, L. B., Guiot, Y., Derrien, M., Muccioli, G. G., Delzenne, N. M., et al. (2013) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1219451110 · Cited by 4,511 · see citing works
The SILVA and “All-species Living Tree Project (LTP)” taxonomic frameworks
Yilmaz, P., Parfrey, L., Yarza, P., Gerken, J., Pruesse, E., Quast, C., Schweer, T., Peplies, J., Ludwig, W., & Glöckner, F. (2013) · Nucleic Acids Res. · doi:10.1093/nar/gkt1209 · Cited by 3,547 · see citing works
Exact sequence variants should replace operational taxonomic units in marker-gene data analysis
Callahan, B. J., McMurdie, P. J., & Holmes, S. (2017) · The ISME Journal · doi:10.1038/ismej.2017.119 · Cited by 3,253 · see citing works
UniFrac: an effective distance metric for microbial community comparison
Lozupone, C., Lladser, M. E., Knights, D., Stombaugh, J., & Knight, R. (2011) · The ISME Journal · doi:10.1038/ismej.2010.133 · Cited by 2,825 · see citing works
Lozupone, C., Hamady, M., Kelley, S. T., & Knight, R. D. (2007) · Applied and Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1128/aem.01996-06 · Cited by 2,717 · see citing works
Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota
Suez, J., Korem, T., Zeevi, D., Zilberman-Schapira, G., Thaiss, C. A., Maza, O., Israeli, D., Zmora, N., Gilad, S., Weinberger, A., et al. (2014) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature13793 · Cited by 2,067 · see citing works
Impact of the gut microbiota on inflammation, obesity, and metabolic disease
Boulangé, C. L., Neves, A. L., Chilloux, J., Nicholson, J. K., & Dumas, M.-E. (2016) · Genome Medicine · doi:10.1186/s13073-016-0303-2 · Cited by 1,438 · see citing works
Microbiome Helper: a Custom and Streamlined Workflow for Microbiome Research
Comeau, A., Douglas, G. M., & Langille, M. G. I. (2017) · mSystems · doi:10.1128/msystems.00127-16 · Cited by 674 · see citing works
Kasai, C., Sugimoto, K., Moritani, I., Tanaka, J., Oya, Y., Inoue, H., Tameda, M., Shiraki, K., Ito, M., Takei, Y., et al. (2015) · BMC Gastroenterology · doi:10.1186/s12876-015-0330-2 · Cited by 581 · see citing works
Artificial sweeteners produce the counterintuitive effect of inducing metabolic derangements
Swithers, S. E. (2013) · Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism · doi:10.1016/j.tem.2013.05.005 · Cited by 418 · see citing works
Biological fate of low-calorie sweeteners
Magnuson, B. A., Carakostas, M. C., Moore, N. H., Poulos, S. P., & RENWICK, A. G. (2016) · Nutrition Reviews · doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuw032 · Cited by 337 · see citing works
Akkermansia muciniphila improves metabolic profiles by reducing inflammation in chow diet-fed mice
Zhao, S., Liu, W., Wang, J., Shi, J., Sun, Y., Wang, W., Ning, G., Liu, R., & Hong, J. (2017) · Journal of Molecular Endocrinology · doi:10.1530/jme-16-0054 · Cited by 298 · see citing works
Sucralose metabolism and pharmacokinetics in man
Roberts, A. S., Renwick, A. G. C., Sims, J., & Snodin, D. J. (2000) · Food and Chemical Toxicology · doi:10.1016/s0278-6915(00)00026-0 · Cited by 266 · see citing works
Gut microbiome response to sucralose and its potential role in inducing liver inflammation in mice
Bian, X., Chi, L., Gao, B., Tu, P., Ru, H., & Lu, K. (2017) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2017.00487 · Cited by 258 · see citing works
Rodriguez-Palacios, A., Harding, A., Menghini, P., Himmelman, C., Retuerto, M., Nickerson, K. P., Lam, M., Croniger, C. M., McLean, M. H., Durum, S. K., et al. (2018) · Inflammatory Bowel Diseases · doi:10.1093/ibd/izy060 · Cited by 225 · cited 1× · see citing works
“most of the sucralose is not absorbed in the intestine(1,7,8), gives support to observations showing that sucralose can alter gut microbiome composition(6,9).”
BackgroundAltered Gut Microbiota in Type 2 Diabetes: Just a Coincidence?
Sircana, A., Framarin, L., Leone, N., Berrutti, M., Castellino, F., Parente, R., Michieli, F. D., Paschetta, E., & Musso, G. (2018) · Current Diabetes Reports · doi:10.1007/s11892-018-1057-6 · Cited by 223 · see citing works
Non-caloric artificial sweeteners and the microbiome: findings and challenges
Suez, J., Korem, T., Zilberman-Schapira, G., Segal, E., & Elinav, E. (2015) · Gut Microbes · doi:10.1080/19490976.2015.1017700 · Cited by 217 · see citing works
Sucralose, A Synthetic Organochlorine Sweetener: Overview Of Biological Issues
Schiffman, S. S., & Rother, K. I. (2013) · Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health Part B · doi:10.1080/10937404.2013.842523 · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Sucralose—an overview of the toxicity data
Grice, H. C. (2000) · Food and Chemical Toxicology · doi:10.1016/s0278-6915(00)00023-5 · Cited by 181 · see citing works
Critical review of the current literature on the safety of sucralose
Magnuson, B. A., Roberts, A. S., & Nestmann, E. R. (2017) · Food and Chemical Toxicology · doi:10.1016/j.fct.2017.05.047 · Cited by 168 · see citing works
Lack of effect of sucralose on glucose homeostasis in subjects with type 2 diabetes
Grotz, V. L., Henry, R. R., McGill, J. B., PRINCE, M. J., Shamoon, H., Trout, J. R., & Pi-Sunyer, X. (2003) · Journal of the American Dietetic Association · doi:10.1016/j.jada.2003.09.021 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
Non-nutritive sweeteners possess a bacteriostatic effect and alter gut microbiota in mice
Wang, Q., Browman, D., Herzog, H., & Neely, G. G. (2018) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0199080 · Cited by 146 · see citing works
Low-/No-Calorie Sweeteners: A Review of Global Intakes
Martyn, D. M., Darch, M., Roberts, A. S., Lee, H. Y., Tian, T. Y., Kaburagi, N., & Belmar, P. C. (2018) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu10030357 · Cited by 124 · see citing works
Assessing the in vivo data on low/no-calorie sweeteners and the gut microbiota
Lobach, A. R., Roberts, A., & Rowland, I. R. (2019) · Food and Chemical Toxicology · doi:10.1016/j.fct.2018.12.005 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Distinct patterns in the gut microbiota after surgical or medical therapy in obese patients
Medina, D. A., Pedreros, J. P., Turiel, D., Quezada, N., Pimentel, F., Escalona, A., & Garrido, D. (2017) · PeerJ · doi:10.7717/peerj.3443 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
Self-citationGrotz, V. L., Pi-Sunyer, X., Porte, D., Roberts, A., & Richard Trout, J. (2017) · Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.05.011 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Integrated Functions for Four Basic Models of Indirect Pharmacodynamic Response
Krzyżański, W., & Jusko, W. J. (1998) · Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences · doi:10.1021/js970168r · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Shearer, J., & Swithers, S. E. (2016) · Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders · doi:10.1007/s11154-016-9372-1 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Metabolic Effects of Sucralose on Environmental Bacteria
Omran, A. P., Ahearn, G. A., Bowers, D. F., Swenson, J., & Coughlin, C. (2013) · Journal of Toxicology · doi:10.1155/2013/372986 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Plasma concentrations of sucralose in children and adults
Sylvetsky, A. C., Bauman, V., Blau, J. E., Garraffo, H. M., Walter, P. J., & Rother, K. I. (2016) · Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry Reviews · doi:10.1080/02772248.2016.1234754 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Most, J., Goossens, G. H., Reijnders, D., Canfora, E. E., Penders, J., & Blaak, E. E. (2017) · Beneficial Microbes · doi:10.3920/bm2016.0189 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Galgani, J. E., Vásquez, K. Y., Watkins, G., Dupuy, A., Bertrand‐Michel, J., Levade, T., & Moro, C. (2013) · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · doi:10.1210/jc.2012-3111 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Self-citationDifferential Bacteriostatic Effects of Sucralose on Various Species of Environmental Bacteria
Omran, A. P., Baker, R., & Coughlin, C. (2013) · ISRN Toxicology · doi:10.1155/2013/415070 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Acute and subchronic toxicity of tetramethylcyclohexanes
Johannsen, F. R., & Levinskas, G. J. (1987) · Journal of Applied Toxicology · doi:10.1002/jat.2550070404 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Diet and the Microbiota–Gut–Brain Axis: Sowing the Seeds of Good Mental Health
Berding, K., Vlckova, K., Marx, W., Schellekens, H., Stanton, C., Clarke, G., Jacka, F., Dinan, T. G., & Cryan, J. F. (2021) · Advances in Nutrition · doi:10.1093/advances/nmaa181 · Cited by 451 · see citing works
The Impact of Artificial Sweeteners on Body Weight Control and Glucose Homeostasis
Pang, M. D., Goossens, G. H., & Blaak, E. E. (2021) · Frontiers in Nutrition · doi:10.3389/fnut.2020.598340 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
Rogers, P. J., & Appleton, K. M. (2021) · International Journal of Obesity · doi:10.1038/s41366-020-00704-2 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
The Gut Microbiome and Individual-Specific Responses to Diet
Leshem, A., Segal, E., & Elinav, E. (2020) · mSystems · doi:10.1128/msystems.00665-20 · Cited by 109 · see citing works
- Authors
- Thomson, P., Santibañez, R., Aguirre, C., Galgani, J. E., & Garrido, D.
- Affiliations
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (CL)
- Corresponding author
- Garrido, Daniel
- Venue
- British Journal Of Nutrition
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2019-09-13
- Volume
- 122
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 856-862
- ISSN
- 0007-1145 (ISSN-L)
- 1475-2662
- OpenAlex
- W2954790846
- Cited by
- 117
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 8.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- British Journal Of Nutrition (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Gut microbiota and health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diet, Metabolism, and Disease
- Keywords
- sucralose, artificial sweeteners, gut microbiota, insulin resistance, glucose homeostasis, insulin response, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, interindividual variability, healthy adults
- MeSH terms
- Gastrointestinal Microbiome, Adolescent, Adult, Blood Glucose, Energy Intake, Double-Blind Method, Humans, Insulin Resistance, Male, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S, Sucrose, Sweetening Agents, Young Adult, Healthy Volunteers
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
