Despite numerous studies and safety tests, scientists are still impressed with some discoveries involving sweeteners. This is the case of researchers from the Francis Crick Institute, in the United Kingdom, who discovered the ability of sucralose to reduce the activity of the immune system in mice — which can be positive.
To be more precise, the artificial sweetener sucralose reduces the activity level of T cells, a key part of the body’s defenses against infectious agents. “The findings suggest that a high intake of sucralose may attenuate T cell-mediated responses,” say the authors in the study, published in the scientific journal Nature.
On the other hand, the discovery opens up a new therapeutic possibility involving the use of sucralose: the control of autoimmune diseases. If the same mechanism is confirmed in humans, treatments involving the reduction of T cell activity can be developed for specific patients, in which the immune system attacks the body itself.
Sucralose: a type of artificial sweetener
It is worth explaining that sucralose is an artificial sweetener, considered 600 times sweeter than sugar. Widely used in drinks and industrialized foods, this is a derivative of sugar cane with zero calories per gram, according to the Brazilian Food Industry Association (Abiad).
Despite the emerging evidence obtained by British scientists, the consensus of the scientific community is that the use of sweeteners, such as sucralose, is safe within established limits of daily consumption. Even the approval of such a product involves analysis by different international bodies, such as the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Is sucralose harmful to humans?
Another important fact is that, during the study, the mice were fed sucralose concentrations equivalent to the acceptable limit of daily intake by humans, based on European and North American agencies. However, these doses would hardly be replicable within a person’s “normal” consumption. This is when considering a balanced diet, where only certain foods and drinks are rich in sucralose.
How does sucralose affect the immune system of rodents?
To measure the effects of a high-dose sucralose diet, rodents were fed this type of artificial sweetener. According to the authors, it was only possible to identify the lower activation capacity of T cells in response to cancer or an infection in guinea pigs.
The main hypothesis is that the high level of sucralose limits the intracellular release of calcium and, as an effect of the lack of mineral, the T cells are negatively affected. However, no other effects were observed on other cells of the immune system.
In the same study, it was possible to identify that a diet rich in sucralose was beneficial for mice with some autoimmune disease related to T cells, such as type 1 diabetes. In these cases, the sweetener mitigated the harmful effects of overactive T cells, helping to control the board.
New research in the field of autoimmune diseases
“More research and studies are needed to see if these effects of sucralose in mice can be reproduced in humans,” says Karen Vousden, biologist and senior author of the study, in a statement. day offer a way to limit some of the harmful effects of autoimmune conditions,” he adds.
The study coincides with a series of new investigations into the effects of sweeteners on the body of rodents. Recently, US researchers identified that erythritol may increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, but the impacts for humans have not been evaluated.
Source: Nature, Francis Crick Institute e Abiad
