Acute Intake of Sucrose but Not of the Intense Sweetener Sucralose Is Associated with Post-Prandial Endotoxemia in Healthy Young Adults-A Randomized Controlled Trial.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Randomized placebo-controlled crossover trial in humans
PubMed 37764821 · doi:10.3390/nu15184038
What was done
Healthy men and women completed a randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind crossover study following a 2-day dietary standardization. Participants consumed test beverages containing sucrose, sucralose (iso-sweet), or an isocaloric combination of sucralose plus maltodextrin, followed by plasma endotoxin measurements. In parallel, intestinal barrier permeability was evaluated in vitro using Caco-2 cell monolayers (bacterial endotoxin permeation) and ex vivo using an everted gut sac model (xylose permeation).
What was found
The abstract reports directional statistical outcomes without reporting numerical values or confidence intervals: - The 2-day dietary standardization was associated with a significant decrease in plasma endotoxin levels. - Acute intake of the sucrose beverage resulted in a significant increase in plasma endotoxin levels, whereas levels remained unchanged following sucralose-sweetened beverages. - Sucrose, but not sucralose, significantly increased bacterial endotoxin permeation across Caco-2 monolayers. - Xylose permeation across everted gut sacs was significantly higher after sucrose challenge, but unchanged with sucralose.
Why it matters
This study provides evidence that acute ingestion of sucrose promotes intestinal permeability and transient postprandial endotoxemia in humans, whereas the intense sweetener sucralose does not induce this acute barrier disruption.
Limits
The abstract does not disclose the sample size (n), participant demographics, or numerical estimates (concentrations, effect sizes, p-values). Testing was restricted to acute single-dose effects in healthy young adults, leaving chronic exposure unaddressed, and the human trial was single-blinded rather than double-blinded.
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