How artificial sweeteners affect your body metabolism

Some artificial sweeteners seem to have an effect on how the body metabolises drugs like antibiotics, antidepressants and antivirals, media reports said citing a study. The research was carried out by the Medical College of Wisconsin in the US last month. Well, medicines usually work when taken at the right time and in the apt way. But the research has revealed that external factors like some artificial sweeteners can also have an effect on it. In the study, the artificial sweeteners, sucralose and acesulfame potassium, seem to have disrupted the function of a protein in the liver, which looks to remove toxins and drugs from the body. The research was just preliminary work and "more research is needed", the authors of the lab-based study said.  

Not just this, citrus fruit like grapefruit can also disrupt the absorption of around 85 different medicines. These may include statins, antidepressants, etc. This happens as the fruit contains compounds like furanocoumarins. This can interfere with an enzyme in our body and break down these medicines.

In normal conditions, this enzyme looks to keep a check on the amount of the drug, which enters your blood, Simon Maxwell, professor, clinical pharmacology, Edinburgh University told Daily Mail.  

"But if at the same time you drink grapefruit juice— or eat the fruit — the furanocoumarins stop this enzyme doing its job. This can be important for a number of widely prescribed drugs. This interaction partly occurs in the gut, enabling increased absorption, but also — significantly — in the liver, preventing it from progressively removing the drug in the hours after absorption. Together, this means that overall exposure to the drug can be significantly increased, resulting in toxic effects," Maxwell said.