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• Nutrition and diet

• Preventive nutrition

Can stevia sweetener harm your health?

The popular natural sweetener that is considered very safe to use has been tested by researchers from Ben Gurion University who have found that it can harm intestinal bacteria and thus cause various health problems.

Tags

• Artificial sweeteners

• Intestines

• germs

• hot beverages

Walla!

health

Monday, 30 November 2020, 13:40

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We all drink more sugary hot drinks now.

Tea (Photo: Giphy)

Winter makes us all drink a lot more hot drinks, and many seek to give up a few teaspoons of sugar to save the calories that are added to our daily routine in the cold season anyway.

To do this, a lot of people choose stevia - a natural, calorie-free sweetener that has become popular in recent years.

Now, an Israeli study published in the journal Molecules has found that there is an effect of stevia on the communication between bacteria in the gut, which can harm our health.

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev examined the effect of stevia, steviol and stevoside extracts on inter-bacterial communication.

The study presented a disruptive mechanism of action of stevia and its components on the target receptor using computer simulations.

The study also examined a number of bacterial communication systems and it appears that significant consumption of stevia may upset the balance between bacteria in the gut.

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To the full article

Bacteria transmit chemical messages between them in order to synchronize their activity and together express genes associated with survival and durability, while creating a competitive advantage over other bacterial strains.

These messages are encoded using small chemical molecules that represent signals that are transmitted between the bacterial cells and allow them to count their species, a census source that is carried out for the rest of the bacteria in their environment.

It follows that impairing communication between these bacteria can alter the balance of power between the bacteria and harm our health in several ways.

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"This is the first time we have been able to show how sugar substitutes affect the single-cell-level communication system," explained Dr. Karina Gulberg, who conducted the study with Prof. Ariel Kushmero and Orr Sher of the Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory and Prof. Robert Marx, head of the Department of Biotechnology Engineering. “In the past it has been found that sugar substitutes affect the bacterial balance, which has led to glucose intolerance.

This time we were able to show why this is happening. "

A safe natural sweetener?

Stevia (Photo: shutterstock)

"This is a system that allows bacteria to adjust their genes according to the density of bacteria and if this delicate balance is disturbed, health effects may appear."

In recent years we have witnessed a policy of reduction. Sugar consumption in many countries Standards have been set for reducing sugar in many products so that food manufacturers have incorporated and increased the use of artificial sweeteners in their products.In light of evidence of harmful effects attributed to artificial ingredients, the use of stevia, which is still considered a natural and safe sweetener, has increased. There seems to be room for further research and testing before we put it on our menu.

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