The human gut microbiome is a significant factor in overall health. Diets and individual ingredients can have substantial influence on the microbiome.

Research has suggested that non-nutritive sweeteners may alter the composition and function of the gut microbiome. Therefore, in order to investigate the effects of a stevia sweetener on the composition of the microbiome, INQUIS conducted a randomized, controlled, double blind, parallel design clinical trial for the Cargill R+D Center. In this trial, 66 participants consumed a beverage containing a stevia sweetener or a beverage containing sucrose every day for 4 weeks. Fecal samples were collected at baseline, after 4 weeks of treatment, and again at week 8, after a 4 week washout period.

This trial demonstrated that daily consumption of stevia for 4 weeks had no significant effect on the gut microbiome, short chain fatty acid production, or fasting cardiometabolic measures, when compared to sucrose.

“The results of this trial indicate that stevia, when consumed at a daily dose of 25% of the acceptable daily intake, has no deleterious effects on the microbiome,” says Dr. Thomas Wolever, Senior Scientist and Medical Director at INQUIS. “Microbiome trials have become highly sought after in the field of nutrition, as developing research continues to underscore the relationship between diet, microbiome composition, and overall health and disease status. Microbiome research can be challenging to conduct, but with experience and careful training and coaching of research participants, they can yield valuable results, as microbiome analysis becomes more accessible to food and ingredient companies.”

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