High Consumption of Common Artificial Sweetener Decreases the Activation of T-Cells in Mice
April 28, 2023
A new study published in the journal Nature by researchers at the Francis Crick Institute investigates the impact of high consumption of sucralose, an artificial sweetener commonly used in food and drinks, on the immune system in mice. Feeding the mice at levels equivalent to the acceptable daily intake recommended by the European and American food and drug safety authorities, it was demonstrated that high doses of sucralose interfered with intracellular calcium release in response to T-cell stimulation, diminishing their activation and function.
“This research should not sound alarm bells for those wanting to ensure they have a healthy immune system or recover from disease, as humans consuming normal or even moderately elevated levels of sucralose would not be exposed to the levels achieved in this study.
Instead, the researchers hope the findings could lead to a new way of using much higher therapeutic doses of sucralose in patients, building on the observation that when mice with T cell-mediated autoimmune disease were given a high-dose sucralose diet, this helped to mitigate the harmful effects of their overactive T cells.”
CREDITS: SCI TECH DAILY NEWS