Consequences of Chronic Sweetener Intake on Leukocyte Apoptosis

Abstract

Sweeteners are substances that do not provide energy and are added to food to provide a sweet taste. These compounds are used to replace sugar. Although these substances are thought to be innocuous, their generalized use in the food industry makes it relevant to study their long‐term effects. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of frequent intake of commercial sweeteners on the apoptosis of leukocytes from the spleen of mice supplemented with these compounds in their diet for an extended period of time.14 week‐old BALB/c mice were assigned to the following experimental groups: 1) Negative control (Without sweetener); 2) Positive Control (Sucrose); 3) Stevia Group (Natural Sweetener); 4) Sucrose Group (Artificial Sweetener). After treatment, animals were euthanized and spleen cells were purified and stained with an Annexin‐V apoptosis detection kit to determine the number of cells in different stages of apoptosis. Our results show an increased number of cells undergoing apoptosis in the groups supplemented with either sucrose or sucralose, compared to controls, particularly in the early‐apoptosis subset. Our data suggest that intake of high quantities of sweeteners for a prolonged period of time increases the leukocyte's susceptibility to apoptosis in the spleen, although this subject needs to be explored further.