Brenda Watson's Blog, page 12

Skinny Gut Food Friday—Cacao, Avocado, and Chia Mousse Recipe

Every Friday for six weeks I have been sharing with you a recipe from my new book, The Skinny Gut Diet. If you have tried it all, but you still can’t lose weight, then this book is for you. You are not entirely to blame for your extra pounds. As it turns out, the bacteria in your gut play a major role in whether or not you will lose weight—and keep it off—for good.

Cacao, avocado, and chia mousse is a decadent dessert that you don’t have to feel guilty about. When you have a craving for sweets, this simple yet delicious dessert is all you need, with only 1.6 teaspoons of sugar (that includes sugar that breaks down from starchy carbohydrates), as calculated using my sugar tracker calculation:

0.6 teaspoons of sugar

15 minutes to prepare and cook

Serves 4

1 avocado

¼ cup cacao powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup unsweetened almond milk

2 tablespoons chia seeds

Place the avocado, vanilla, and almond milk in a food processor and process until smooth. Stir in the chia seeds. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour. Scoop into individual bowls and serve chilled.

Another Skinny Gut Diet Success Story! Meet Polly Bauer

Surgical weight loss is a hotly contested topic. Some feel it’s a miracle. Others, like Polly Bauer, one of the participants in the Skinny Gut Diet project, have a different story to tell. Of course I knew from personal experience that by eating the right foods for a balanced gut, most of us are one step closer to losing weight and keeping it off for good. But would that prove to be the case after a lifetime battle with weight and ultimately a surgical failure?

Polly is an acclaimed international speaker and credit card industry expert who recently co-authored an award-winning book titled, The Plastic Effect: How Urban Legends Influence the Use and Misuse of Credit Cards. For 44 years she has been educating corporate executives, merchants, and consumers on the use and abuse of credit cards. (Her new book is a must-have if you carry plastic!) It was fascinating when Polly shared with me that the core concepts she learned following the Skinny Gut Diet were as critical in providing her with optimum physical health as understanding credit is to strong financial health.

I’m thrilled to tell you it was Polly’s good fortune to lose 37 pounds on our Skinny Gut Diet program and experience the resilience of her digestive system. Her return to health was a testimony to the powers of healing inside us all. Read her story below.

What attracted you to the Skinny Gut Diet?

I knew I would have a proven, tested, well researched program to dedicate myself to. When I start a program, I go all in. I’ve been following Brenda Watson for a decade or so and greatly respected her knowledge base and integrity. When I heard about the possibility of being a part of the original Skinny Gut group, I pursued the opportunity.

Tell us about your success with the Skinny Gut Diet.

I began to understand food and nutrition in a way I had never grasped it previously. I was surprised how easy the meals and snacks were to prepare, once I got the hang of it. I came into the program after a lifetime of dieting, and a failed lap-band surgery. I was haunted by the misery of daily nausea and frequent vomiting. I was ecstatic, after starting the supplement program, to see those horrible chronic symptoms simply vanish. There are no words to describe my relief and gratitude.

What surprised you most about the Skinny Gut Diet?

In a very short period of time I completely lost my sweet and salt cravings. They disappeared around Day 5! I never had really understood how sugar, and also carbs (even gluten-free ones) were damaging my health.

How easy is it to follow the Skinny Gut Diet away from home?

I travel internationally as a speaker, so this was somewhat of a concern early on. I quickly realized that I could easily order foods that were healthy for me everywhere I went. Once I understood the nutritional component of the foods, I became empowered to dine globally and stay with the program – no problem!

Why do you think the Skinny Gut Diet worked so well for you?

Through my lifelong battle with weight, I always placed too much emphasis on what the scale said in the morning instead of how I felt inside and how I fit into my clothes. It was an interesting experience with the Skinny Gut Diet. I am a person who wants results quickly. With the Skinny Gut Diet I was continuously motivated by how rapidly my body dimensions were changing. Other participants mentioned they noticed the same thing. It seemed like I was literally shrinking, even when the numbers on the scale didn’t decrease as quickly as I might have liked. I experienced “looking good and feeling better” results faster than I ever had before and that kept me committed. This is truly my lifestyle – for life. I’m a Skinny Gut Girl forever!

Would you recommend the Skinny Gut Diet to others?

Absolutely! Keep this secret all to myself? Never. I tell everyone I meet!

You can read more about Polly’s story on page 28 of The SkinnyGut Diet. She’s truly an inspiration!

Keep the success stories coming! Join my Skinny Gut Online Community to ask questions, get more information and connect with other Skinny Gut Dieters to share tips and stories.

Day-Night Cycles Affect Gut Balance

Only over the last century have humans been exposed to such a huge alteration in the sleep-wake cycle that, previously, was dependent only upon the revolution of the earth in relation to the sun. With the advent of lighting and airplanes, the rhythms of daily life have changed for most of us, and have changed drastically for some of us who engage in shiftwork or who travel great distances on a regular basis via plane.

Might these alterations of daily life have an effect on the microbes living within our guts? And if so, might those alterations play a role on our health? Researchers from the Weismann Institute of Science set out to find the answers to these questions. In a study published in the journal Cell, the scientists determined that yes, disruptions in daily cycles do have an impact on gut bacterial composition and function, and those alterations trigger obesity and other metabolic abnormalities.

Shift workers and frequent flyers, especially those who cross numerous time zones on a regular basis, are more likely to suffer from obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and infections. The scientists wondered if gut microbes play a role.

The researchers first used an animal model to determine whether alterations in day-night cycles play a role on gut microbes. They found that changes in day-night cycles, powered by the circadian clock, triggered changes in gut microbial composition and function. Sixty percent of the gut microbe composition was altered (dysbiosis) in those mice who experienced a change in day-night cycle. They determined that these alterations were the result of an altered feeding schedule, and that they could be reversed by reverting to a feeding schedule that mimicked the normal day-night cycle.

Next, the researchers determined that these fluctuations of the gut microbiota triggered metabolic abnormalities such as fat accumulation and glucose intolerance (simply put, high blood sugar), which were ameliorated after administration of antibiotics, confirming the fact that the gut microbe dysbiosis was responsible for the metabolic abnormalities.

To test these effects in humans, they analyzed the gut microbes of two adults over the course of several days and found similar fluctuations in composition and function. Next, they analyzed stool of two adults who took a flight from the United States to Israel. They tested stool before the flight, 24 hours after the flight (jet lag), and two weeks after the flight. They found dysbiosis of the gut microbes under conditions of jet lag when compared to before the flight or two weeks after. Interestingly, they also found an abundance of the Firmicutes bacteria, which have been linked to obesity and metabolic abnormalities in humans.2

To take the study yet one step further, they transplanted stool from the dysbiotic, jet lagged humans into the digestive tracts of mice without gut microbes and found that those mice gained more weight and body fat and had higher blood sugar levels compared to mice that received stool from the individuals before and after being jet lagged.

“Our inner microbial rhythm represents a new therapeutic target that may be exploited in future studies to normalize the microbiota in people whose lifestyle involves frequent alterations in sleep patterns, hopefully to reduce or even prevent their risk of developing obesity and its complications,” noted the researchers. They recommend that “probiotic or antimicrobial therapy may be tested as potential new preventive or therapeutic approaches.”

Another recent study from the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology found an increased risk of ulcerative colitis in people who get less than six hours of sleep per night. Ulcerative colitis is a severe digestive disease that involves inflammation of the colon and has been linked to gut bacterial imbalance. The results of this study are not surprising, given what we have just learned about the effects of the sleep-wake cycle.

The adverse health effects of sleep deprivation are widespread. Perhaps one day we will be able to combat these effects by improving our gut microbes without having to alter our poor sleep habits. Time and more research will tell.

References

Thaiss CA, Zeevi D, Levy M, et al., “Transkingdom control of microbiota diurnal oscillations promotes metabolic homeostasis.” Cell. 23 Oct 2014;159(3):514–29.
Ley RE, Turnbaugh PJ, Klein, et al., “Microbial ecology: human gut microbes associated with obesity.” Nature. 2006 Dec 21;444(7122):1022–3.
Ridaura VK, Faith JJ, Rey FE, et al., “Gut microbiota from twins discordant for obesity modulate metabolism in mice.” Science. 2013 Sep 6;341(6150):1241214.
Ananthakrishnan AN, Khalili H, Konijeti GG, et al., “Sleep duration affects risk for ulcerative colitis: A prospective cohort study.” Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014 Apr 26.

Probiotics and Vitamin C Reduce Colds and School Absences

Research continues to show that probiotics promote immune health. In particular, they have been found to have a beneficial effect on upper respiratory tract infections, which include cold and flu. Up to 80 percent of your immune system resides in the gut, so it’s not surprising that gut bacteria play a major role in immune health. A recent study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition is adding to the rapidly growing body of research on this topic.

In the study, 57 children aged three to five were given a probiotic formula containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains (two L. acidophilus strains, B. bifidum, and B. lactis at a total dose of 12.5 billion colony forming units) along with 50 mg of vitamin C or placebo daily for six months. Those children taking the probiotic plus vitamin C experienced a 33 percent reduction in the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections as well as a 30 percent decrease in the number of school absences. They also had fewer unscheduled visits to the doctor, less antibiotic treatment, and reduced number of days that cough medicine was used.

Vitamin C has well-known effects on immune health, and so likely complemented the effects of the probiotics. Young children experience up to 12 colds per year, a number parents would love to see go down. In addition to proper hand washing, and a healthy diet, children may benefit from probiotic supplementation to protect them from cold and flu.

Skinny Gut Food Friday—Lemongrass Chicken Recipe

Every Friday for six weeks I am sharing with you a recipe from my new book, The Skinny Gut Diet. If you have tried it all, but you still can’t lose weight, then this book is for you. You are not entirely to blame for your extra pounds. As it turns out, the bacteria in your gut play a major role in whether or not you will lose weight—and keep it off—for good.

Lemongrass chicken is a perfect Skinny Gut meal. With protein, nutrient-packed Swiss chard, prebiotic scallions, and coconut oil for healthy fat, your palate will be pleased and your gut bacteria happy. This meal only 1.6 teaspoons of sugar (that includes sugar that breaks down from starchy carbohydrates), as calculated using my sugar tracker calculation:

1.6 teaspoons of sugar

25 minutes to prepare and cook

Serves 4

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large shallot, minced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 fresh chile, such as serrano or jalapeño, seeds removed, flesh minced

2 fresh lemongrass stalks, outer layers removed, minced

1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 2-inch chunks

1 tablespoon tamari

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped

4 scallions, green and white parts thinly sliced

In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, shallot, curry powder, chile, and lemongrass. Add the chicken and tamari and stir to coat well. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Heat ½ teaspoon of the oil in a large sauté pan or wok over high heat. Add the marinated chicken and stir fry, turning every few minutes, until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the water and continue to cook until the chicken is fragrant, appears glazed, and is cooked through when pierced with a fork or a knife, about 5 minutes more. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and heat the remaining ½ teaspoon oil in the same pan. Add the water and continue to cook until the chicken is fragrant, appears glazed, and is cooked through when pierced with a fork or knife, about 5 minutes more. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and heat the remaining ½ teaspoon oil in the same pan. Add the ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the chard and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until the chard is wilted and the ginger is fragrant.

Place the chard on a serving plate and top with the chicken pieces. Serve garnished with the scallions.

Omega-3 DHA in Breast Milk Linked to Higher Test Scores Later in Life

Omega-3 fats are known to be beneficial to brain health, especially the omega-3 fat DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). DHA is found in cold-water fatty fish and in algae, and can be obtained by consuming fish high in DHA (salmon, sardines, and herring, in particular), fish oil supplements, or vegetarian DHA supplements derived from algae. Throughout every phase of life, DHA plays a role in protecting and improving brain health.

In a recent study published in the journal Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, researchers compared the fatty acid levels of breast milk with children’s academic test scores. The researchers used data on DHA content of breast milk and test scores from 28 countries. They found that higher amounts of omega-3 DHA in mothers’ milk strongly predicted later test performance in their children. DHA levels predicted test scores even more strongly than national income or dollars spent per pupil in school.

“Human intelligence has a physical basis in the huge size of our brains—some seven times larger than would be expected for a mammal with our body size,” noted Steven Gaulin, one of the researchers. “Since there is never a free lunch, those big brains need lots of extra building materials—most importantly they need omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA.”

While economic well-being did play a role in predicting test scores, “If you had to choose one, you should choose the better diet rather than the better economy,” noted Gaulin. That says a lot, doesn’t it?

Dietary omega-3 intake in the United States is woefully low, and to add insult to injury, omega-6 intake is extremely high. To combat this imbalance, be sure to eat plenty of fish high in omega-3, and add a DHA supplement to ensure you are getting enough.

Your Microbes and Your Home

On and in your body, at this very moment, are living over 100 trillion microbes working together—hopefully—to help protect you from disease. From person to person, these microbes differ, although certain core sets of bacteria groups tend to be common across all people. While many researchers are hard at work advancing our knowledge about the microbes covering our skin and living within us, researchers from the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago have been studying the microbes inside of houses and apartments.

In a recent study published in the journal Science, researchers followed seven families, including eighteen people, three dogs, and one cat, over six weeks. Participants swabbed their hands, feet, and noses daily to collect microbial samples. In addition, samples from household surfaces, such as countertops, floors, light switches, and doorknobs were collected.

They found that the microbial composition of the homes was greatly affected by the communities living in and on the humans. Three of the seven families moved over the course of the study, and it took less than one day for the microbes to be diminished from the old homes. Likewise, when one individual left home for a few days, the microbes followed. This study shows us that not only do our microbes take over our bodies, but they take over our homes while inhabit them.

Among the people studied, the married couples along with their young children were found to share many more microbes with each other than they did with other family members. The hands were found to be the location of most similarity between individuals while noses showed the most individuality. In homes with pets, plant and soil bacteria were found in higher amounts, as would be expected.

The researchers say that studies such as these could serve as a forensic tool. “You could theoretically predict whether a person has lived in this location, and how recently, with very good accuracy, noted Jack Gilbert, PhD, lead researcher.

Could it be that our bacteria take over our living environments as a protective measure over our health? I would certainly not be surprised. I like the idea of having an army of beneficial bacteria surrounding me at all times.

Skinny Gut Food Friday—Athenian Meatballs Recipe

Every Friday for six weeks I am sharing with you a recipe from my new book, The Skinny Gut Diet. If you have tried it all, but you still can’t lose weight, then this book is for you. You are not entirely to blame for your extra pounds. As it turns out, the bacteria in your gut play a major role in whether or not you will lose weight—and keep it off—for good.

These delicious meatballs make a delicious snack, appetizer, or, when paired with a side salad, a nice lunch. Prepare them ahead of time so that you can heat them up them whenever you need to quell your appetite. These meatballs have only 0.6 teaspoons of sugar (that includes sugar that breaks down from starchy carbohydrates), as calculated using my sugar tracker calculation:

0.6 teaspoons of sugar

55 minutes to prepare and cook

Serves 6

1 white onion, quartered

¼ cup fresh dill sprigs

¼ cup fresh mint leaves

2 garlic cloves

½ cup grated zucchini

1 pound ground lamb

1 large egg, beaten

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons water or milk

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the onion, dill, mint, and garlic in a food processor and pulse 8 to 12 times, until chopped and well mixed. Add the zucchini and pulse 2 or 3 times more to combine. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
Add the lamb, egg, cheese, and pepper and mix with your hands until well combined. Wet your hands with water or milk and form the mixture into balls slightly larger than a gold ball.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs for 5 minutes all around, then place on an ovenproof dish or pan. Place in the oven on the center rack and bake for about 30 minutes.

Ultra-Low Diversity of Gut Microbes During Critical Illness

The intestinal tract is a main source of health-care associated pathogenic infections, not surprisingly due to the high concentration of microbes residing there.1 The GI tract is also considered to the primary reservoir for the emergence of antibiotic resistance of such infections.2 In patients with prolonged critical illness, the risk of developing a gut-derived sepsis (blood infection) is increased.

In a recent study published in the journal mBio, researchers analyzed the gut microbial composition of 14 critically ill patients under prolonged stay in an intensive care unit.3 They found ultra-low-diversity communities of bacteria consisting of only one to four species in 30 percent of the patients. This ultra-low diversity is the result of harsh conditions in the gut during critical illness, including multiple antibiotic exposure, reduced nutrition, physiological stress, and additional medications, some of which also affect gut microbes (acid-suppressors and opioids, in particular).

The most common bacteria in these patients detected by 16S rRNA sequencing were Enterococcus and Streptococcus as well as microbes under the family Enterobacteriaceae. Culture-based analyses also revealed the presence of Candida albicans and Candida glabrata in about 75 percent of the ICU patients. Four patients harbored a 2-member pathogen community consisting of one Candida and one bacterial organism.

“Here we demonstrate that the intestinal microbiome in critically ill patients can be considered a “damaged organ” given that its main cellular mass, the normal microbiota, is disrupted and dominated by pathobiota which may be an ever-threatening source for disseminating pathogens,” concluded the researchers.

In further experiments, the researchers determined that the ultra-low-diversity communities showed low virulence (pathogenicity) when they were grouped together, or living commensally as “friendly” organisms. The bacteria were able to keep the fungal Candida species in check, reducing their ability to become pathogenic. The researchers also tested the use of phosphate-polyethylene glycol (an anti-virulence compound) and found that it helped to reduce the pathogenicity of the microbes, suggesting that it might be a useful compound for critically ill patients with an ultra-low diversity of antibiotic-resistant gut microbes.

“A major challenge in treating critically ill patients is the overuse of antibiotics, a practice that is often unavoidable with patients exposed to multiple invasive procedures and extreme physiologic stress,” noted the researchers.

Further study of compounds that positively affect gut microbe composition in this vulnerable population is needed.

Many critically ill patients are now getting a slow, continuous drip of liquid food fortified with gut supportive supplements such as zinc, glutamine, arginine, vitamin C, omega-3s, and many more. These feedings are administered either via a thin nasogastric tube or an endoscopically placed gastric feeding tube.

I personally think it is high time that prebiotics and probiotics be added to the feeding tube line. Many of these tubes have an extra opening to administer meds. The prebiotics could be administered with the continuous liquid feedings and the probiotics be injected via side port, ideally between antibiotic dosages. This allows for maintenance of microbial diversity and repopulation of probiotic species that diminish with chronic stress, which allows pathogenic bacteria and fungi to multiply out of control.

It has been well documented that probiotics ingest prebiotic fibers, creating short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyrate, acetate, and propionate. All three of these have been shown to bind to GPR43, and GPR41 receptors in the gut lining and on the surface of white blood cells. This action majorly helps to balance the immune system so that it can appropriately deal with pathogenic bacteria and fungi without overdoing it and leading to autoimmune disease.

This is only one action of SCFAs, and only one of many ways immunity is balanced when supported by good nutrition and beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria, and fungi such as Saccharomyces boulardii, signaling through many different pathways. The optimum situation is to provide the nutrients, supplements, and probiotics that support our “damaged organ”—the gut lining and beneficial microbes.

This article provides a good picture of what happens when our normal microbiome, which normally consists of several hundred microbial species, is reduced to 2 to 4 pathogenic bacteria and fungi while everything else has been starved or killed by antimicrobials. It makes perfect sense to replenish that which has been lost, a practice that should be, and is slowly becoming, standard of care today.

References

Alverdy JC and Chang EB, “The re-emerging role of the intestinal microflora in critical illness and inflammation: why the gut hypothesis of sepsis syndrome will not go away.” J Leukoc Biol. 2008 Mar;83(3):461-6.
Salyers AA, Gupta A, and Wang Y, “Human intestinal bacteria as reservoirs for antibiotic resistance genes.” Trends Microbiol. 2004 Sep;12(9):412-6.
Zaborin A, Smith D, Garfield K, et al., “Membership and behavior of ultra-low-diversity pathogen communities present in the gut of humans during prolonged critical illness.” mBio. 23 2014 Sep;5(5):e01361–14.

Artificial Sweeteners Raise Blood Sugar via Changes in Gut Bacteria

Artificial sweeteners—the likes of saccharine (the pink packets), aspartame (the blue packets), and sucralose (the yellow packets)—were created as an alternative to caloric sweeteners like sugar and honey, which contribute to raised blood sugar and the development of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Artificial sweeteners are added to a wide range of commonly consumed foods such as diet sodas, cereals, and sugar-free desserts, which are often recommended for people with, or at risk of, type 2 diabetes.

Artificial sweeteners are not absorbed by the body, but are instead passed through the digestive tract largely intact. Due to the 100 trillion bacteria inhabiting the gut, however, they may have more of an effect on metabolism than experts previously realized. In a recent study published in the journal Nature, researchers found that artificial sweeteners trigger an imbalance of gut bacteria that leads to an increase in glucose intolerance (an inability of the body to deal with excess sugar in the bloodstream—in other words, high blood sugar and insulin resistance).

In an elegant collection of experiments, the scientists found that artificial sweeteners are likely not the safe sugar alternative that we are led to believe.

“Together with other major shifts that occurred in human nutrition, this increase in non-caloric artificial sweetener (NAS) consumption coincides with the dramatic increase in the obesity and diabetes epidemics,” noted the researchers. “Our findings suggest that NAS may have directly contributed to enhancing the exact epidemic that they themselves were intended to fight.”

The scientists began by adding saccharine, sucralose, aspartame, sucrose (table sugar), glucose (the basic sugar molecule that makes up table sugar and is found in the bloodstream), or nothing to the drinking water of mice. Those mice drinking water with an added artificial sweetener were found to have increased glucose intolerance when compared to mice given sugar or plain water. Of the three artificial sweeteners tested, saccharine had the most pronounced effect.

Next, the mice were given antibiotics while continuing to consume the saccharine, sugar, or plain water. The antibiotic treatment induced a reversal of the glucose intolerance in those mice consuming artificial sweeteners, a finding that suggests that gut bacteria play a role in the alterations of glucose tolerance. When the gut bacteria were diminished by antibiotics, the glucose intolerance disappeared, so we know the bacteria were involved. In addition, the stool of mice consuming saccharine (before antibiotics) was tested and found to exhibit dysbiosis, or bacterial imbalance when compared to the control groups consuming sugar or plain water. This also implicates the bacteria as playing a role.

To test the idea that gut bacteria might be the cause of the glucose intolerance, the researchers transplanted stool from the saccharine-consuming mice into germ-free mice, or mice without gut bacteria. After only six days, the germ-free mice began to exhibit impaired glucose tolerance. This demonstrates that not only is saccharine responsible for triggering gut bacteria imbalance, but that the imbalance is directly responsible for impairing glucose tolerance after consumption of saccharine.

Think about that. Bacteria inside the gut are altered by saccharine, and they trigger the body to have a faulty response to dietary sugar, leading to increases in blood sugar. I don’t know about you, but I’ll hold off on the pink stuff (and all artificial sweeteners, for that matter.)

“Collectively, these results demonstrate that saccharine directly modulates the composition and function of the microbiome and induces dysbiosis, accounting for the downstream glucose intolerance…” noted the scientists.

Next the researchers took their investigation to the next level by studying these effects in humans. They first found a link between consumption of artificial sweeteners and several parameters related to the metabolic syndrome, including increased weight and waist-to-hip ratio, higher fasting blood sugar and glucose intolerance as well as elevated levels of HbA1C (a measure of long-term blood sugar control).

To determine whether these links may be more than a coincidence—that is, that consumption of artificial sweeteners causes these abnormalities rather than occurring alongside them—the scientists followed seven healthy individuals who do not normally consume artificial sweeteners. For six days, the participants consumed saccharine at the highest allowable daily intake level, and for even this short period of time, four of the seven participants developed glucose intolerance. Stool tests of these individuals showed that their gut bacteria differed from those who did not have an abnormal glucose response, showing that an imbalance of gut bacteria plays a role in the abnormal blood sugar response to saccharine in humans, as well.

To test this idea out and determine whether gut bacteria causes the glucose intolerance rather than occurs alongside it, they transplanted stool from two people who exhibited abnormal blood sugar response after consuming saccharine and two people who did not into germ-free mice. As predicted, those mice who received stool from people who exhibited abnormal glucose response went on to exhibit the same abnormal glucose response as well as a gut bacterial imbalance.

This is quite an impressive and eye-opening study. If you regularly consume artificial sweeteners, you may want to think twice. While more studies will be needed to replicate these results and to determine whether the other artificial sweeteners sucralose and aspartame have the same effects in humans, taking the precautionary measure and avoiding these sweeteners is a good idea. Even the study’s lead author, Eran Elinav, MD, PhD, has made the personal decision to stop using them. I, myself do not eat them, and I have recommended against them for many years now. Opt instead for natural non-caloric sweeteners like stevia, lo han (monkfruit), erythritol, or xylitol.