Background Essay
There are many things that we have been eating without knowing their advantages and disadvantages. Non-nutritive sweetener is a one that has been made a lot of controversial. As we drink coffee, we usually like to add a little sweetness to it. People who want to lower their calorie intake would use non-nutritive sweeteners for their diet (Liauchonak, et al., 2019). However, do we know what is a non-nutritive sweetener exactly? What are their structures look like? What is microbiome and glucose tolerance mean? Well, you can find the best explanation in my blog, so keep diving with me into this topic.
A non-nutritive sweetener or sugar substitutes contain carbohydrates but lower energy than table sugar, which is sucrose, that use to enhance the flavor of food (Liauchonak, et al., 2019). It first introduces in 1878 to replace regular table sugar (Walbolt & Koh, 2020). The non-nutritive sweetener can increase the chance of getting type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular (Walbolt & Koh, 2020). The authors (Walbolt & Koh, 2020) state, for those products labeled as “no sugar” or “diet” usually contain non-nutritive sugar). There are four types of sugar substitutes: saccharine, sucralose, stevia, and aspartame. Its structure can be found at the end of this blog.
Using non-nutritive sweeteners in a long term will affect our microbiome (Wang, et al., 2022). According to my knowledge, a microbiome is a community or a microorganism of fungus, bacteria, genes, and viruses that live in our body and on our skin. The human microbiome is a complex system that has been never fully explored. While we have not yet discovered all its functions, research has shown that it is involved in many aspects of human wellness. A healthy microbiome can protect us from pathogens and keep our immune systems strong.
Glucose tolerance is the ability to process glucose in a person. Glucose tolerance refers to how well an individual can handle blood sugar levels in their body. It is the increased rate at which type of sugar is metabolized in the bloodstream, and cells can use it to turn it into energy. A good glucose tolerance reflex is how well a person’s insulin receptors are working. A poor glucose tolerance reflexes that a person is a prediabetes. It is important to mark diabetes as soon as we can because diabetes can turn complicated if left untreated. Doctors can help us check our insulin resistance by using the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test or OGTT (Eyth et al., 2022).
The relationship between microbiota and glucose tolerance are remain controversial. According to (Cohen, 2020), molecules control how our liver sends glucose into the bloodstream. A higher intake of carbohydrates will decrease the Blautia genus in the gut which will lower glucose intolerance (Egshatyan et al., 2016). Blautia is a genus of anaerobic bacteria in our intestines that help maintain our health and alleviate metabolic syndrome (Liu et al. 2021). Diabetes people have higher Blautia genus abundance in their bodies (Egshatyan et al., 2016). Although many studies established the relationship between glucose tolerance and sugar substances, there is still controversy about these sugar on human health. Some research demonstrates that sugar substances change microbial metabolic pathways which leads to glucose intolerance in humans (Suez et al., 2014).
Reference
Cohen D., Krisko H., and Krisko T. (2020). Gut Microbiome Controls Blood Glucose Levels Through the Liver. Weill Cornell Medicine, https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2020/02/gut-microbiome-controls-blood-glucose-levels-through-the-liver
Egshatyan et al. (2016). Gut microbiota and diet in patients with different glucose tolerance. Endocrine Connections, https://ec.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/ec/5/1/1.xml
Eyth E., Basit H., and Swift C. (2022). Gluscose Tolerance Test. National Library of Medicine, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532915/
Liauchonak, I., Qorri, B., Dawoud, F., Riat, Y., and Szewczuk, M.R. (2019). Non-Nutritive Sweeteners and Their Implications on the Development of Metabolic Syndrome. National Library of Medicine,
Liu X., Mao B., Gu J., Wu J., Cui S., Wang G., Zhao J., Zhang H., and Chen W. (2021), Blautia-a new functional genus with potential probiotic properties. National Library of Medicine, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7872077/
Suez et al. (2014) Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. National Library of Medicine, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25231862/
Walbolt, J., and Koh, Y. (2020). Non-nutritive Sweeteners and Their Associations with Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. National Library of Medicine, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7338497/ Wang, W., Nettleton J., Gangzle M., and Reimer R. (2022). A Metagenomics Investigation of Intergenerational Effects of Non-nutritive Sweeteners on Gut Microbiome. National Library of Medicine, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35096940/