Newborns from Mothers Who Intensely Consumed Sucralose during Pregnancy Are Heavier and Exhibit Markers of Metabolic Alteration and Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation: A Cross-Sectional, Prospective Study

Abstract

Robust data in animals show that sucralose intake during gestation can predispose the offspring to weight gain, metabolic disturbances, and low-grade systemic inflammation; however, concluding information remains elusive in humans. In this cross-sectional, prospective study, we examined the birth weight, glucose and insulin cord blood levels, monocyte subsets, and inflammatory cytokine profile in 292 neonates at term from mothers with light sucralose ingestion (LSI) of less than 60 mg sucralose/week or heavy sucralose intake (HSI) of more than 36 mg sucralose/day during pregnancy. Mothers in the LSI (n = 205) or HSI (n = 87) groups showed no differences in age, pregestational body mass index, blood pressure, and glucose tolerance. Although there were no differences in glucose, infants from HSI mothers displayed significant increases in birth weight and insulin compared to newborns from LSI mothers. Newborns from HSI mothers showed a substantial increase in the percentage of inflammatory nonclassical monocytes compared to neonates from LSI mothers. Umbilical cord tissue of infants from HSI mothers exhibited higher IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha with lower IL-10 expression than that found in newborns from LSI mothers. Present results demonstrate that heavy sucralose ingestion during pregnancy affects neonates’ anthropometric, metabolic, and inflammatory features.

In ovo exposure to commercial artificial sweeteners causes congenital malformations in chick embryos- A morphological study

“…It also might cause several aspects during early life stages such as low IQ (Sharma et al, 2016). Studies on humans showed that many AS such as sucralose, acesulfame K, cyclamate, and saccharine cross the placenta (Aguayo-Guerrero et al, 2023;Leth-Møller et al, 2023).…”

Sucralose: From Sweet Success to Metabolic Controversies—Unraveling the Global Health Implications of a Pervasive Non-Caloric Artificial Sweetener

“…The inflammatory consequences of sucralose consumption can persist across generations, as shown in the study by Aguayo-Guerrero et al [ 66 ]. This group fed human mothers either with a high sucralose intake (HSI) of more than 36 mg sucralose/day during pregnancy, or a low sucralose intake (LSI) of less than 60 mg sucralose/week.…”

“…Additionally, the umbilical cord tissue of infants from HSI mothers exhibited higher IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha levels along with lower IL-10 expression than that found in newborns from LSI mothers. This evidence shows that heavy sucralose ingestion during pregnancy affects the metabolic and inflammatory features of neonates [ 66 ].…”