[News Terms] Does 'NeoTam' Harm Gut Health?

"Intestinal Barrier Breakdown May Trigger Irritable Bowel Syndrome"
EFSA Reviews Safety Reassessment Plan for Artificial Sweeteners Including Neotam

'Neotame' is a powerful artificial sweetener that is approximately 7,000 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar and is used in various foods and beverages.

It is about 8,000 times sweeter than the same mass of sucrose, a disaccharide found in plants such as sugarcane and sugar beet, but it has no off flavor and has the characteristic of enhancing the taste of food.

Sugar displayed at a large supermarket in Seoul.
Photo by Yonhap News

It is a chemical derivative formed by a partial change in the molecular structure of aspartame. However, it is 30 to 60 times sweeter than aspartame, chemically more stable, and sweeter, so less quantity can be used, reducing production costs. Neotame is sometimes used alone, but it is also mixed with other sweeteners to increase sweetness and reduce off flavors.

Like aspartame, neotame does not accumulate in the body and is completely excreted, so it has no calories. Moreover, it is heat-stable, maintaining its properties even during heating processes. Therefore, it is mainly used to make low-calorie beverages, gum, diet foods for diabetics or those trying to lose weight, daily necessities, and pharmaceuticals.

The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has set the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of neotame at 0?2 mg per kilogram of body weight. For adults, the safe daily intake is approximately 112?140 mg.

A study has found that neotame can harm gut health by damaging intestinal microorganisms. On the 29th (local time), according to foreign media including The Guardian, a joint research team from Anglia Ruskin University in the UK and Jahangirnagar University in Bangladesh recently analyzed the effects of neotame on gut health and published the results in the international academic journal Frontiers in Nutrition.

The research team created a human gut model and introduced healthy gut microorganisms such as Escherichia coli and Enterococcus, then exposed them to neotame. The results showed increased cell death and intestinal barrier leakage. Harmless gut bacteria aggregated to form biofilms and adhered to the intestinal epithelial barrier, exhibiting pathogenicity.

Professor Habobi Chicher, who led the research team, said, "Artificial sweeteners like saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame can cause diarrhea and enteritis, and if diseased gut bacteria enter the bloodstream, they can cause problems such as sepsis." He added, "Neotame at doses ten times lower than the daily acceptable intake can also break down the intestinal barrier and potentially cause conditions like irritable bowel syndrome."

Neotame has been approved for use in more than 35 countries since the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) confirmed its safety in 2007. However, based on accumulated research results, EFSA is currently reviewing the safety reassessment plan for artificial sweeteners including neotame.