Effect of stevia on the gut microbiota and glucose tolerance in a murine model of diet-induced obesity.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether stevia supplementation could correct high-fat diet-induced glucose intolerance and alter the gut microbiota in mice.
Results Summary
Stevia supplementation did not impact body weight or glucose intolerance in mice on a high-fat diet. It resulted in similar gut microbiota alterations as saccharin but did not rescue high-fat diet-induced changes.
Population
Mice (split into low-fat, high-fat, high-fat + saccharin, and high-fat + stevia groups).
Effective Dosage
Not specified in the abstract.
Duration
10 weeks.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Artificial sweeteners | increase | glucose intolerance | - | - | have been shown to induce | #1 |
high fat diet | increase | glucose intolerance | mice | - | developed | #2 |
high fat diet | increase | body weight | mice | - | gained more weight than | #3 |
Stevia supplementation | no change | body weight | mice | - | did not impact | #4 |
Stevia supplementation | no change | glucose intolerance | mice | - | did not impact | #5 |
low fat diet | neutral | species richness | mice | - | Differences in | #6 |
low fat diet | neutral | relative abundances of several phyla | mice | - | Differences in | #7 |
stevia | neutral | the gut microbiota | mice | - | results in similar alterations to | #8 |
Artificial sweeteners have been shown to induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota; however, little is known about the effect of stevia. Here, we investigate whether stevia supplementation induces glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota in mice, hypothesizing that stevia would correct high fat diet-induced glucose intolerance and alter the gut microbiota. Mice were split into four treatment groups: low fat, high fat, high fat + saccharin and high fat + stevia. After 10 weeks of treatment, mice consuming a high fat diet (60% kcal from fat) developed glucose intolerance and gained more weight than mice consuming a low fat diet. Stevia supplementation did not impact body weight or glucose intolerance. Differences in species richness and relative abundances of several phyla were observed in low fat groups compared to high fat, stevia and saccharin. We identified two operational taxonomic groups that contributed to differences in beta-diversity between the stevia and saccharin groups: Lactococcus and Akkermansia in females and Lactococcus in males. Our results demonstrate that stevia does not rescue high fat diet-induced changes in glucose tolerance or the microbiota, and that stevia results in similar alterations to the gut microbiota as saccharin when administered in concordance with a high fat diet.