Impact on cardiac mass of model animals chronic consumption of sweeteners and its correlation with some biochemical parameters

Abstract

Presently there are questions about the use and consumption of nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners, as well as their metabolic implications on long-term health in humans. Due to that, in this research project some possible damages that the sweeteners studied might cause to health were evaluated. For this, a laboratory animal model was used from its first days of life until it reached maturity and part of its senescence. The concentrations of sweeteners handled were equated with the concentrations found in sweetened non alcoholic beverages that are marketed in Mexico. As main findings, the ad libitum consumption of these sweeteners only influenced heart mass in male rats that drank glucose for 480 days. It was found that there was no statistical significance between the consumption of nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners with the heart mass of the specimens since the heart masses were similar between individuals of the same gender. In the males that consumed nutritive sweeteners at the end of the experiments they had an average heart mass of 2.1±0.3 g and of 1.9±0.3 g for those that consumed non-nutritive sweeteners. In the case of the females, those that consumed nutritive sweeteners had an average heart mass of 1.3±0.2 g and those that consumed non-nutritive sweeteners of 1.3±0.1 g. In relation to the biochemical parameters, only the serum levels of triglycerides reached pathological levels in the groups that ingested nutritive sweeteners, since within them was fructose and the glucose solution had a very high concentration of this carbohydrate to be able to have the same level of isosweetness as the fructose solutions (7 and 14%, respectively). In the case of the correlations between heart mass and triglyceride levels, significant associations were found in the groups of male rats that drank saccharin and glucose. With this, it is possible to conclude that non-nutritive sweeteners are not metabolically inert substances, so it is necessary to continue investigating the possible consequences and repercussions of their consumption on the metabolism of human beings, especially when combined with other chemical additives.