The sweetener used in Spain that reduces effectiveness of certain cancer treatments
The popular sugar substitute, sold in supermarkets and included in diet drinks, increases tumor growth and affects the survival of cancer patients - according to the latest research
Sucralose, a popular artificial sweetener used in Spanish drinks labelled 'zero' or 'light', impairs the effectiveness of cancer treatments, according to research conducted by the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman cancer centre in the USA. The study found that its consumption alters gut bacteria and reduces levels of the amino acid called arginine. This amino acid is "essential for the function of T-cells" that destroy cancer cells "more effectively" in "immunotherapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-PD1", which increase T-cell activity.
Sucralose is sold in the large supermarket chains in Spain under different trade names such as Canderel, Sucralin and Splenda, among others. It primarily affects patients with melanoma and lung cancer, who had "a poorer response to immunotherapy and lower survival rates than those on diets low in this artificial sweetener", according to the article published on Thursday in the medical journal Cancer Discovery, published by the American Association for Cancer Research.
The negative effects of sucralose were determined in tests on mice and in a dietary analysis of 132 immunotherapy patients (some also undergoing chemotherapy), who logged their dietary intake. In the mice, the sweetener was found to "alter the composition of the gut microbiome, increasing bacterial species that degrade arginine," state the authors, led by Diwakar Davar, an oncologist and haematologist at UPMC Hillman, and Abby Overacre, an immunology researcher at the University of Pittsburgh.
"The harmful effects of the sugar substitute could be counteracted by arginine or citrulline supplements"
While analysing the diets of patients with these two types of cancer, the study confirmed that sucralose, whether added to coffee or ingested in the diet versions of many soft drinks, did indeed decrease the effectiveness of immunotherapy. "When arginine levels were reduced due to changes in the microbiome caused by sucralose, T-cells were unable to function properly and, as a result, immunotherapy was not as effective," said Overacre in a statement.
By inhibiting immunotherapy, sucralose produced "larger tumours." However, the researchers also found that this harmful effect of the sugar substitute could be counteracted with supplements of "arginine or citrulline, which is metabolised to arginine in the body."
