Seriously?!
I know that’s what you’re thinking. Believe me, I was too.
And so, I did a lot more research before daring to present the results here.
The research is shared in the ground-breaking EMBO Molecular Medicine article: Saccharin Disrupts Bacterial Cell Envelop Stability and Interferes with DNA Replication Dynamics.
And what did that research show?
- Saccharin in a 2.66% concentration inhibited the growth of A. baumanii[1]
- Oral saccharin intake decreases the intestinal bacterial count and reduces acute and chronic colitis in mice.[2]
- Colitis was improved in mice after therapeutic and prophylactic treatment with saccharin.[3]
- Previous studies showed that saccharin has antimicrobial activity—it kills bacteria.
· What’s more, the research also showed that sucralose, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium exert a similar effect.
· The effects were more pronounced with Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, and with the Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis.
What’s been interesting, at least to me, is that the media (and then, by extension, the public) have been quick to pick up on the “saccharin is an antibiotic” topic. And they’ve basically ignored previous studies showing the opposite, that saccharin is more likely to increase antibiotic resistance. And that other less common artificial sweeteners also exhibited similar effects (positive and negative).[4]
More research needs to be conducted. Perhaps saccharin really does exhibit antibiotic effects whether taken internally or applied topically. And perhaps not. Maybe it’s something to keep in mind. Something to suggest to others if they’ve run out of everything else and want to use your stuff. Tell them to try their own saccharin instead. Maybe try a little study on yourself and mix a packet of saccharin into a “hydrogel” as used in the study cited above, or perhaps some aloe vera gel and apply it to a wound. Then see what happens.
And perhaps the best course is not to blindly take advice from someone on social media. (And for the record, that also includes me.) That person may be jumping the gun a bit, using one study to make a broad claim. We've all got to be a bit more diligent and do our own research.
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