02/09/2026
“Some sweeteners may not simply pass through the gut
unnoticed.
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In a large laboratory study, researchers tested 39 low-calorie sweeteners against 25 species of human gut bacteria.
About three-quarters of the sweeteners affected the growth of at least one bacterial species. Some slowed or blocked bacteria linked to a healthy gut. The team also tested sweeteners with common compounds found in foods, drinks, and medicines, including caffeine, vanillin, and the antidepressant duloxetine. They found more than 100 interactions where the effect changed when another compound was present.
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The strongest signal came from isosteviol and duloxetine.
Together, they sharply reduced two gut bacteria linked to digestive and metabolic health. This does not prove sweeteners harm people. The work was done in lab systems, not human bodies, but it suggests sweeteners may be more biologically active tb we assumed.
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RESEARCH PAPER
Blasche et al., “Common xenobiotics modulate gut microbial responses to low-calorie sweeteners in vitro”, Molecular Systems Biology (2026)”
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