Artificial Sugars vs Gut Health

I’m a big believer in how our gut health affects our wellbeing. And we’ve blogged previously about what foods to avoid to keep a healthy microbiome (See ‘What should I eat for a healthy gut?’)

This mentions to stay away from sugar as it feeds the bad bacteria in our digestive system.

But what about artificial sweeteners?

It seems its more bad news for those who use sugar substitutes.

I’ve blogged before that artificial sugar doesn’t satisfy our sweet cravings and that it can lead to more real sugar being consumed. (see my blog: Sugar sucks!)

Well it appears that they also affect our gut health. A recent article by Michael Mosley shares that studies show that consuming artificially sweetened foods affects our ability to process glucose.

Scientists aren’t sure why, but it seems that gut bacteria reacts to the sweetener and produces chemicals that cause inflammation, which can encourage obesity and diabetes. (Ref: Daily mail – artificial sugars kill healthy gut bugs).

So, we now have another reason to stop consuming artificial sugar substitutes – it makes our gut microbiome toxic (ref: Techtimes – artificial sweeteners kill good bacteria).

That doesn’t mean you should go back to plain old sugar – please read my previous blogs about the health issues of sugar. 

Instead concentrate on eating to help the good bacteria in your digestive system. Read our blog here: ‘What should I eat for a healthy gut?’

Your taste buds will re-adjust to less sweet stuff and you’ll reap the health benefits!

Here’s to happy, healthy eating…