ArticleAdvances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.)2019
Effects of Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiota: A Review of Experimental Studies and Clinical Trials.
Article in Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 195 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
195 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 401 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of Sucralose Consumption on Gut Microbiota: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Adherence toFrontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Artificially Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Cancer Risk: A Comprehensive Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.Nutrients · 2022Pooled it
- The Effect of Isolated and Synthetic Dietary Fibers on Markers of Metabolic Diseases in Human Intervention Studies: A Systematic Review.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2020Pooled it
- Acute Effects of Nutritive and Non-Nutritive Sweeteners on Postprandial Blood Pressure.Nutrients · 2019Pooled it
- Effect of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers on weight management and gut microbiota composition in individuals with overweight or obesity: the SWEET study.Nature metabolism · 2025Trial
- Clinical Trial: A Mediterranean Low-FODMAP Diet Alleviates Symptoms of Non-Constipation IBS-Randomized Controlled Study and Volatomics Analysis.Nutrients · 2025Trial
- Is a Non-Caloric Sweetener-Free Diet Good to Treat Functional Gastrointestinal Disorder Symptoms? A Randomized Controlled Trial.Nutrients · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Trial
- Diet-Microbiome-Immune Interactions at the Gut Mucosa in Food Allergy: Mechanisms, Gaps, and Therapeutic Implications.Allergy · 2026Review
- Frequent Sweetened Beverage Consumption Is Associated With Accelerated Biological Aging: Evidence From a Population-Based Study and Gut Microbiota Analysis.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Diet, the Gut Microbiome, and Mental Health: Mechanistic Perspectives.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2026Review
- Article
- Effects of Non-Nutritive Artificial Sweeteners on Gut Microbiota and Host Metabolism and Health-Related Outcomes: A Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Declines in plasma erythritol levels and improvements in insulin sensitivity and glucose metabolism: POUNDS lost trial.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2026Article
- Mechanism-First Psychobiotics: Fermented Vegetables, Dairy, and Soy for Depression and Anxiety.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Targeting the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis: Emerging Nanomedicine Approaches for Neurodegenerative Diseases.The European journal of neuroscience · 2026Review
- Artificial sweeteners and risk of cardiometabolic outcomes and mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Nutrition research and practice · 2026Review
135 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The consumption of sugar-free foods is growing because of their low-calorie content and the health concerns about products with high sugar content. Sweeteners that are frequently several hundred thousand times sweeter than sucrose are being consumed as sugar substitutes. Although nonnutritive sweeteners (NNSs) are considered safe and well tolerated, their effects on glucose intolerance, the activation of sweet taste receptors, and alterations to the composition of the intestinal microbiota are controversial. This review critically discusses the evidence supporting the effects of NNSs, both synthetic sweeteners (acesulfame K, aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin, neotame, advantame, and sucralose) and natural sweeteners (NSs; thaumatin, steviol glucosides, monellin, neohesperidin dihydrochalcone, and glycyrrhizin) and nutritive sweeteners (polyols or sugar alcohols) on the composition of microbiota in the human gut. So far, only saccharin and sucralose (NNSs) and stevia (NS) change the composition of the gut microbiota. By definition, a prebiotic is a nondigestible food ingredient, but some polyols can be absorbed, at least partially, in the small intestine by passive diffusion: however, a number of them, such as isomaltose, maltitol, lactitol, and xylitol, can reach the large bowel and increase the numbers of bifidobacteria in humans. Further research on the effects of sweeteners on the composition of the human gut microbiome is necessary.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.