Popular sugar substitute found to be a barrier in cancer treatment

The popular sweetener sucralose may reduce the effectiveness of immunotherapy in cancer treatment. This conclusion was reached by specialists from the University of Pittsburgh and Hillman Cancer Center, who published their research results in the journal Cancer Discovery.

Analysis of data from 132 patients with melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer showed: those who regularly consumed sucralose, for example, with diet soda or coffee, had immune medications working less effectively, and their life expectancy was lower. The reason is disruption of the gut microbiome, which led to decreased levels of arginine, an important amino acid for T-cell function.

In experiments on mice, adding sucralose to the diet also reduced therapy effectiveness and promoted tumor growth. However, taking arginine or citrulline (which converts to arginine in the body) restored the treatment effect. Scientists believe that such a dietary supplement could become a way to compensate for the negative impact of the sweetener - and they are already planning a clinical study.

Specialists emphasize: completely eliminating sucralose from patients' diets is difficult, so it's important to develop strategies that will help adapt nutrition without overwhelming patients. In the future, researchers plan to evaluate the effects of other sugar substitutes, such as aspartame, xylitol, and stevia, on the immune response during cancer therapy.