A new study invites, once again, to be wary artificial sweeteners. According to research, these products used in diet sodas can impair the liver’s ability to detoxify and even to treat certain drugs.
In a study, researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin (USA) found that certain artificial sweeteners such as sucralose and acesulfame potassium had the ability to inhibit liver proteins reports the DailyMail (source 1). These are responsible for the detoxification process. These sweeteners could therefore be detrimental to certain liver functions. These results were presented at the Experimental Biology 2022 meeting hosted by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in Pennsylvania.
More studies to come
“We observed that sweeteners had an impact on activity in liver cells at concentrations expected through the consumption of food and drink, well below the maximum limits recommended by the FDA”, reported Dr. Stephanie Olivier Van Stichelen, who leads the research team. Before completing: “To our knowledge, we are the first group to decipher the molecular mechanism by which non-nutritive sweeteners impact liver detoxification.”
The researchers also found that the liver would no longer be able to properly process the assimilation of certain drugs. For the time being, the researchers wish to carry out other studies to confirm these initial conclusions obtained in the laboratory. Aspartame was not included in this research.