Consumption of Diet Soda Sweetened with Sucralose and Acesulfame-Potassium Alters Inflammatory Transcriptome Pathways in Females with Overweight and Obesity
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
6-1-2020
Journal
Molecular Nutrition and Food Research
Volume
64
Issue
11
DOI
10.1002/mnfr.201901166
Keywords
artificial sweeteners; diet soda; inflammation; metabolism; obesity; sucralose
Abstract
Scope: Low-calorie sweetener (LCS) consumption is associated with metabolic disease in observational studies. However, physiologic mechanisms underlying LCS-induced metabolic impairments in humans are unclear. This study is aimed at identifying molecular pathways in adipose impacted by LCSs. Methods and results: Seven females with overweight or obesity, who did not report LCS use, consumed 12 ounces of diet soda containing sucralose and acesulfame-potassium (Ace-K) three times daily for 8 weeks. A subcutaneous adipose biopsy from the left abdomen and a fasting blood sample were collected at baseline and post-intervention. Global gene expression were assessed using RNA-sequencing followed by functional pathway analysis. No differences in circulating metabolic or inflammatory biomarkers were observed. However, ANOVA detected 828 differentially expressed annotated genes after diet soda consumption (p < 0.05), including transcripts for inflammatory cytokines. Fifty-eight of 140 canonical pathways represented in pathway analyses regulated inflammation, and several key upstream regulators of inflammation (e.g., TNF-alpha) were also represented. Conclusion: Consumption of diet soda with sucralose and Ace-K alters inflammatory transcriptomic pathways (e.g., NF-κB signaling) in subcutaneous adipose tissue but does not significantly alter circulating biomarkers. Findings highlight the need to examine molecular and metabolic effects of LCS exposure in a larger randomized control trial for a longer duration.
Recommended Citation
Sylvetsky, A., Sen, S., Merkel, P., Dore, F., Stern, D., Henry, C., Cai, H., Walter, P., Crandall, K., Rother, K., & Hubal, M. (2020). Consumption of Diet Soda Sweetened with Sucralose and Acesulfame-Potassium Alters Inflammatory Transcriptome Pathways in Females with Overweight and Obesity. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, 64 (11). http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201901166