If you are using any form or type of artificial sweetener, then it might cause health problems and, worse off, weaken cancer treatment. Let us find out more. Without really thinking about it, a lot of us grab that diet beverage or add artificial sweetener to our daily coffee. After all, replacing sugar with sugar-free sweeteners appears like a harmless, even beneficial, habit, especially in light of the emphasis on calorie restriction and sugar avoidance. However, new research indicates that some of these little decisions may have unanticipated repercussions, particularly for those with life-threatening conditions.
Artificial sweeteners are associated with lower survival rates in people with lung cancer
In patients with melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer, consuming high levels of the artificial sweetener sucralose contributes to diminished responses to immunotherapy and poorer survival, researchers reported in Cancer Discovery. When the researchers had 132 patients with advanced melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer answer detailed diet history questionnaires, they found a high consumption of sucralose.
It was linked with lower effectiveness of immunotherapies across a range of cancer types, stages, and treatment methods. In experiments with mice, the researchers found that sucralose shifts the composition of microbes in the intestines, increasing bacterial species that degrade arginine, an amino acid that is essential for key immune cells called T cells.
Study leader Abby Overacre of the University of Pittsburgh said in a statement,
“When arginine levels were depleted due to sucralose-driven shifts in the microbiome, T cells couldn’t function properly. As a result, immunotherapy wasn’t as effective in mice that were fed sucralose.”
A study states that low-grade prostate cancer can conceal a significant risk
Laying the groundwork for a solution to the problem, the same researchers also found in the mice that a supplement that boosted levels of arginine mitigated the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy, an approach they now hope to test in humans. Therefore, supplements and other medications can also be a threat to one’s health; hence, these warnings. Overacre said,
“It’s easy to say, ‘Stop drinking diet soda,’ but when patients are being treated for cancer, they are already dealing with enough, so asking them to drastically alter their diet may not be realistic.”
A low-grade prostate tumour is not necessarily low-risk, new research suggests. Biopsy results showing low-grade prostate cancers can sometimes lead to underestimation of disease risk and omission of surgery or radiation in patients who might benefit from such treatments, researchers warned in JAMA Oncology. Among roughly 117,000 men in their study, with prostate biopsy results indicating a Grade Group 1, or GG1, tumour.
“That’s why it’s so exciting that arginine supplementation could be a simple approach to counteract the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy.”
Examining in more detail how artificial sweeteners affect the body
Artificial sweeteners are made to have a sweet flavour without the calories of sugar. Many individuals believe that they are harmless because they barely alter our digestive systems. But the body is complicated. Researchers are discovering that sweeteners might have an impact on the gut microbiome, and have discovered that Bristol Myers beats forecasts on strong drug sales for cancer treatment as well.
The immune system’s overall performance may suffer if these microscopic helpers are knocked off balance. Some cancer experts have been suggesting recently that GG1 tumours are so slow-growing that they shouldn’t even be considered malignant. The new study results could help inform those discussions, the researchers said. Ultimately, this study serves as a reminder that even seemingly insignificant decisions we make daily, like the sweetener we use in our coffee or extreme heat exposure, have unforeseen consequences for our health.
GCN.com/Reuters.