- The artificial sweetener neotame damages healthy cells in the human intestinal tract, leading to serious health problems such as irritable bowel syndrome, according to a new U.K. study.
- Neotame is a sweetener formulated to be an ingredient in baked goods, various other food products, and as a tabletop flavoring.
- The study will result in fresh risk/benefit considerations of neotame as a sweetener that can help people avoid overweight and obesity, themselves drivers of multiple chronic conditions.
Neotame, an artificial sweetener available for use in food products for which aspartame is inappropriate, may damage the intestine, according to a new study from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, U.K.
The study finds that neotame can alter healthy cells in human intestinal walls. This can impact the integrity of the gut wall, potentially leading to
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved neotame for human consumption in 2002.
It is approved in many countries as a flavor enhancer and sweetener in cakes and other confectionary foods. It is also found in some sugar-free gums, lozenges, and beverages. Neotame may be introduced into foods in manufacturing or as a tabletop seasoning.
Neotame is
The study says the sweetener can directly damage epithelial cells in the intestinal wall as well as adversely affect bacteria in the gut.
The study was conducted in vivo with E. Coli (Escherichia coli) and E. faecalis (Enterococcus faecalis), in which researchers observed various pathogenic responses after exposure to neotame.
Among these was the production of biofilm, and an increase in the ability of damaged bacteria to cling to the intestinal walls.
The study is published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
“Our studies indicate that neotame causes an increase in stress signaling in our human cells which reduces the amount of junctions that hold our cells together in a tight barrier,” Havovi Chichger, PhD,…
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