Common artificial sweetener linked to worse cancer treatment outcomes in Pitt study

"Sucralose, it turns out, is one culprit. It's been shown very recently that these artificial sweeteners can actually greatly impact your gut microbiome, and that they're actually not inert, said Abby Overacre, assistant professor in the University of Pittsburgh's immunology department and first author on the new Pitt paper. Previous studies on sucralose's impact on the gut found that the artificial sweetener can disrupt bacteria diversity and lead to a state of disarray and inflammation."

"Scientists are starting to learn more about just how critical a healthy microbiome is and what leads to an unhealthy one. Sucralose, it turns out, is one culprit. It's been shown very recently that these artificial sweeteners can actually greatly impact your gut microbiome, and that they're actually not inert, said Abby Overacre, assistant professor in the University of Pittsburgh's immunology department and first author on the new Pitt paper."

"The results come as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services turns its attention toward ultraprocessed foods, with efforts to ban artificial food dyes and sweeteners. The Make America Healthy Again Report, released in May by the White House, spotlights artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose as ubiquitous and concerning for a variety of reasons including their role in compromising the integrity of the microbiome and the success of cancer treatments."

Sucralose, a common artificial sweetener, may prevent the body from responding to cancer immunotherapy by altering the gut microbiome. Ultraprocessed-food policy discussions have highlighted artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame for undermining microbiome integrity and treatment success. The gut microbiome contains trillions of bacteria, about 5,000 species, and supports immune function; roughly 80% of immune cells reside there. Recent evidence shows sucralose disrupts bacterial diversity, causes disarray and inflammation, and can alter glucose and insulin responses after prolonged use. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center investigated how sucralose interferes with the microbiome.

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