FOOD sweetener neotame can damage the gut and cause serious illness, a study suggests.
The e-number chemical is thousands of times sweeter than sugar and is increasingly used in place of aspartame, which was found to have health risks.
Lab experiments now show the chemical, found in cakes, drinks and chewing gum, is toxic to the gut.
Scientists at Anglia Ruskin University found it triggered disease in previously healthy gut bacteria, causing them to damage the lining of the intestine.
Neotame, also known as E961, was also capable of directly damaging cells on the gut’s sensitive insides.
This could lead to irritable bowel syndrome or even deadly sepsis – plus contributing to type 2 diabetes, the researchers reckon.
There is growing awareness of the health impacts of sweeteners
Dr Havovi Chichger
They added that even though its super-strong flavour means it is used in smaller amounts than sugar or other sweeteners, even tiny amounts could be harmful.
Study author Dr Havovi Chichger said: “There is growing awareness of the health impacts of sweeteners.
“Our work demonstrates the problems they can cause to the wall of the intestine and the damage to the ‘good bacteria’ which form in our gut.
“This can lead to a range of potential health issues including diarrhoea, intestinal inflammation, and even infections such as septicaemia if the bacteria were to enter the bloodstream.
“It is important to study sweeteners that have been introduced more recently.”
Artificial sweeteners are used to make sugar-free drinks and snacks and keep calorie counts down.
Swapping them in instead of sugar can help people to lose weight or control diabetes – with two thirds of Brits too fat and nearly five million living with diabetes.
But the additives may come with hidden health risks.
Studies have linked aspartame, one of the most used chemicals, to higher risks of liver cancer, stroke or heart diseases.
Dr Chichger’s past research has found that aspartame, saccharin and sucralose can all damage the gut lining the same way that neotame can.
SWEETENER LINKED TO CANCER
A COMMON sweetener used in Diet Coke is linked to cancer, the World Health Organisation says.
It warned in 2023 that aspartame, which is also found in chewing gums and yoghurts, is “possibly carcinogenic to humans”.
The decision was based on three studies that suggested aspartame is associated with a higher rate of liver cancer.
Dr Francesco Branca, of the WHO’s Department of Nutrition and Food Safety, encouraged people to limit sweetened products if possible.
He said: “There are alternatives that do not contain either free sugars or sweeteners and those should be preferred.”