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Sweeteners Like Splenda Make Crohn’s Disease Worse

Artificial sweeteners like Splenda may contribute to worsening symptoms of Crohn’s disease in people who already have the condition, a new study states.

Splenda first launched in 1992 as a substitute for natural sugars, and has become one of the most popular artificial sweeteners. This sweetener is 600 times sweeter than sugar, but provides very few calories, making it an ideal product for those who are watching their weight or just don’t want to use regular sugar, Tech Times reports.

Scientists experimenting on mice have found that Splenda has potential side effects in people with Crohn’s disease. Alex Rodriguez-Palacios, from Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, and colleagues discovered that sucralose – Splenda – exacerbated the gut inflammation in animals with a disease that resembled Crohn’s, although the sweetener did not have any effect on healthy mice.

During the six-week study, the mice that had a form of Crohn’s disease and drank water spiked with Splenda showed greater numbers of Proteobacteria or microbes that include pathogens such as E.coli and salmonella, in their intestines. In addition, these mice revealed an increase in activity of the enzyme myeloperoxidase, which attacks disease-causing microorganisms. The same did not happen for the healthy mice.

The authors wrote,

Our results indicate that although Splenda may promote parallel microbiome alterations in CD-prone and healthy hosts, this did not result in elevated MPO levels in healthy mice, only CD-prone mice.

The study added, “The consumption of sucralose/maltodextrin-containing foods might exacerbate MPO intestinal reactivity only in individuals with a pro-inflammatory predisposition, such as CD.”

Crohn’s disease is a condition of the digestive tract where inflamed bowels result in severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue, bloody stools, and weight loss. The disease is painful, and often leads to more severe, life-threatening conditions.

There is currently no cure for Crohn’s disease, but certain treatments may work to reduce symptoms and eventually bring long-term remission to patients.

The study was published in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

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