Israeli scientists published a report on the results of studies of artificial sweeteners and their effects on human health.

In the report, scientists from the research Institute named H. Weizmann, published in the journal Nature, provides alarming research results associated with the consumption of saccharin, Sucralose, and aspartame.

In some experiments, the researchers found that the use of widely used types of low-calorie food sweeteners - saccharin, Sucralose and aspartame - caused in mice increased risk of disorders of glucose tolerance, which can lead to diabetes.

Scientists have also checked that occurred with seven volunteers who usually do not uporabljajo artificial sweeteners, but regularly took a dose of saccharin during the week. Four of them appeared impaired glucose tolerance.

The researchers analyzed almost 400 people and came to the conclusion that the bacteria of the digestive tract of those who used artificial sweeteners, differed markedly from bacteria those who did not.

The results of the experiment provide another level of long debate scientists about the potential benefits and harms of the use of artificial sweeteners, which are the most common food additives and are consumed by hundreds of millions of people around the world. But, according to scientists, these results should be confirmed by studies on a larger number of people.

Although in the past some researchers came to the conclusion that sweeteners do not carry health risks and effectively help people to reduce calories and sugar intake, other researchers have argued that certain artificial sweeteners may actually contribute to obesity and cause other problems, including cancer.

Saccharin may be a sweetener, which has caused the most controversy.

In 1977, the Department for food USA has attempted to ban saccharin for security reasons after studies, which showed that after receiving large doses of this chemical sweetener in rats began bladder cancer. Congress , however, has blocked this attempt, instead adopting a law requiring warning labels on products containing saccharin. In 2001, Federal legislation abolished this law.

The American Medical Association and the Association of Diabetes cautiously supported the use of non-nutritive sweeteners as a way to fight obesity and diabetes, claiming that they can part of a health diet.

The good news for the industry is the fact that the study did not touch any of the new natural sweeteners such as stevia.