CEU Credit: Low Calorie Sweeteners & Gut Microbiome

The Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) hosted a webinar called, “Something Changed, But What Does it Mean? Effects of Low-Calorie Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiome,” to discuss the effects of low- and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) on health.

Overview from IAFNS: “The literature abounds with conflicting statements about the effects of low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) on health. In the recent decade, investigations of low-calorie sweetener effects on the gut microbiome have proliferated and are similarly conflicting. In such studies, sweeteners are provided to both humans and animals, and resulting changes are measured and interpreted. Important is that the understanding of the gut microbiome is in the early stages, and there is general consensus that a “healthy” or “normal” gut microbiome is difficult to define and may vary by individual. Given this, detected gut microbiome changes (whether form or function) induced by foods and ingredients must be interpreted in this context, including what the measured changes mean for health. This session will provide an overview of our current scientific understanding diet, gut microbiome, and health relationships, common methods for evaluating gut microbiome changes, and tools for interpreting gut microbiome changes that are reported as resulting from LCS consumption. Information provided will assist healthcare and nutrition practitioners with understanding this literature to provide science-based guidance to the individuals they serve.”

Panelists:

Moderator: Marie Latulippe, MS, RDN, IAFNS

Cindy Davis, PhD, National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements

Topic: The current state of knowledge on gut microbiome and diet: an overview

Alexandra Lobach, PhD, Intertek

Topic: What the evidence tells us about the effect of low-calorie sweeteners on the gut microbiome

Approved by the Commission on Dietetic Registration for 1 CEU.

Find more information directly from IAFNS here.