What exactly happens to rats that drink different types of sweetness water over a long time:A comparison with sucrose, artificial sweeteners and natural sweeteners

Abstract

Low-calorie sweeteners, also known as non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs), have been widely used in the food industry for decades to replace sugar due to their ability to reduce calories in foods and beverages while maintaining sweetness. Nonetheless, numerous controversies persist regarding the long-term effects of various types of NNSs on human physiology and their metabolic safety. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of long-term consumption of various types of sweet water on metabolism, gut microbiota and their potential mechanisms of action in male SD rats (n = 24). Purified water (WAT), 5 % sucrose solution (SUC) (5 mg/mL), and sucralose solution (TGS) (0.0833 mg/mL) and mogroside solution (MOG) (0.2 mg/mL) with the same sweetness as 5 % sucrose were continuously administered for a period of 15 weeks and then the fat content, blood glucose levels, and blood lipids of male SD rats were measured. Additionally, the interaction between intestinal metabolic disorders and intestinal microbiota abnormalities was analyzed using targeted metabolomics combined with 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The findings suggest that NNSs, while not having a significant effect on body weight, may lead to obesity and metabolic disorders in the long-term consumption of sweet water. Mogroside has preferably physiological characteristics, including reducing obesity and improving metabolic disorders, additionally the capacity to enrich beneficial bacteria (Akkermansia and Allobaculum). Conversely, sucralose is similar to sucrose, both of them were observed to promote the growth of harmful bacteria (Corynebacterium and Alloprevotella), exacerbate obesity and metabolic impairment. Moreover, long-term consumption of sweet water affected the transduction mechanism of sweet taste, which in turn synergy with other metabolic pathways, affected the glycolipid metabolism and altered the composition of the gut microbiota. This research provides a theoretical basis for the rational development and use of non-nutritive sweeteners.