Non/Low-Caloric Artificial Sweeteners and Gut Microbiome: From Perturbed Species to Mechanisms
Jiahao Feng,
Jingya Peng,
Yun-Chung Hsiao,
Chih-Wei Liu,
Yifei Yang,
Haoduo Zhao,
Taylor Teitelbaum,
Xueying Wang,
Kun Lu
Affiliations
Jiahao Feng
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Jingya Peng
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Yun-Chung Hsiao
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Chih-Wei Liu
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Yifei Yang
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Haoduo Zhao
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Taylor Teitelbaum
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Xueying Wang
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Kun Lu
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Background: Non/low-caloric artificial sweeteners (NAS) are recognized as chemical additives substituting sugars to avoid caloric intake and subsequent sugar-derived diseases such as diabetes and hyperglycemia. Six NAS have been claimed safe and are authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for public use, with acceptable daily intake information available: aspartame, acesulfame-K, saccharin, sucralose, neotame, and advantame. However, the impacts of NAS on the gut microbiome have raised potential concerns, since sporadic research revealed NAS-induced microbial changes in the gastrointestinal tracts and alterations in the microbiome–host interactive metabolism. Methods: Given the fact that the gut microbiome influences kaleidoscopic physiological functions in host health, this review aimed to decipher the impacts of NAS on the gut microbiome by implementing a comprehensive two-stage literature analysis based on each NAS. Results: This review documented disturbed microbiomes due to NAS exposure to a maximal resolution of species level using taxonomic clustering analysis, and recorded metabolism alterations involved in gut microbiome–host interactions. Conclusions: The results elucidated that specific NAS exhibited discrepant impacts on the gut microbiome, even though overlapping on the genera and species were identified. Some NAS caused glucose tolerance impairment in the host, but the key metabolites and their underlying mechanisms were different. Furthermore, this review embodied the challenges and future directions of current NAS–gut microbiome research to inspire advanced examination of the NAS exposure–gut microbiome–host metabolism axis.
