AL-Ishaq, R.K.; Kubatka, P.; Büsselberg, D. Sweeteners and the Gut Microbiome: Effects on Gastrointestinal Cancers. Nutrients2023, 15, 3675.
AL-Ishaq, R.K.; Kubatka, P.; Büsselberg, D. Sweeteners and the Gut Microbiome: Effects on Gastrointestinal Cancers. Nutrients 2023, 15, 3675.
AL-Ishaq, R.K.; Kubatka, P.; Büsselberg, D. Sweeteners and the Gut Microbiome: Effects on Gastrointestinal Cancers. Nutrients2023, 15, 3675.
AL-Ishaq, R.K.; Kubatka, P.; Büsselberg, D. Sweeteners and the Gut Microbiome: Effects on Gastrointestinal Cancers. Nutrients 2023, 15, 3675.
Abstract
Worldwide, the demand for natural and synthetic sweeteners in the food industry as an alternative to refined sugar is increasing. This prompted more research to estimate its safety and effect on health. The gut microbiome is critical in metabolizing selected sweeteners, which might affect overall health. Recently, more studies evaluated the relationship between sweeteners and the gut microbiome. This review summarizes the current knowledge addressing the role played by the gut microbiome in metabolizing selected sweeteners. It also addresses the influence of the five selected sweeteners or their metabolites on GI cancer-related pathways. Overall, the observed positive effect of sweetener consumption on GI cancer pathways, such as apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, requires further investigation to understand the underlying mechanism. Furthermore, more research is needed to address the main challenges of studying the field, thus advancing it further.
Keywords
sweeteners; non-nutritive sweeteners; steviol; saccharin; gut microbiome
Subject
Medicine and Pharmacology, Oncology and Oncogenics
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.