A new study from the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center has criticized sucralose, a prevalent artificial sweetener used in many diet drinks and sugar-free products. The study suggests that individuals undergoing cancer immunotherapy, especially those with melanoma and some forms of lung cancer, might want to limit their intake of sucralose.
Sucralose and Cancer Treatment: What’s the Connection?
Sucrose is often chosen by those who wish to control their blood sugar levels or cut back on calories. However, this recent study found that cancer patients who consumed large amounts of sucralose had poorer immunotherapy responses and shorter lifespans than those who consumed less of the sweetener.
It is essential to investigate how sucrase affects intestinal bacteria. According to the study, sucrase favored intestinal bacteria that aid T cells in breaking down arginine, an amino acid crucial for the fight against cancer.
Due to a reduction in arginine availability, immunotherapy was less successful since the T cells were unable to function as intended.
A Simple Solution on the Horizon?
The good news is that the researchers found a way to counteract these negative effects, in mice, at least. By giving supplements that boost arginine levels, like arginine itself or citrulline (which the body turns into arginine), they were able to restore the strength of immunotherapy, helping the mice’s immune systems fight the tumors better.
This finding is especially encouraging because drastically changing diets during cancer treatment can be hard. Lead researcher Abby Overacre emphasized, “It’s not always realistic to ask patients to completely stop drinking diet sodas or using sucralose, but simple supplements could help.”
What This Means for Cancer Patients
The study looked at 132 patients with melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer who were on immunotherapy. Those who consumed more sucralose showed poorer outcomes, regardless of cancer type or treatment combo.
Dr. Diwakar Davar, senior author and medical oncologist, believes these results open the door to new supportive treatments that could help patients who consume artificial sweeteners by improving their gut health and immune response.
The team hopes to start clinical trials to see if citrulline supplements can safely boost arginine and improve immunotherapy results in humans. They also want to explore how other sugar substitutes, like aspartame, saccharin, xylitol, and stevia, might affect cancer treatment.
For now, patients undergoing immunotherapy might want to talk to their doctors about their diet, especially their intake of artificial sweeteners, as more research continues.
