Saccharin and liver inflammation in mice over six months
What it found
Six months of saccharin in drinking water raised signs of liver inflammation in male mice.
The sweetener also changed their gut bacteria and the chemicals those bacteria made.
What they found
Animal and lab studies
Liver inflammation in mice
Mice given saccharin had higher levels of two genes linked to inflammation in their livers. These genes were iNOS and TNF-alpha.
Gut bacteria shifted
After three and six months, eleven types of gut bacteria changed in the treated mice. Some bacteria linked to inflammation went up, while others went down.
More bacterial inflammation triggers
The gut bacteria in treated mice carried more genes for making things that can start inflammation. This included genes for bacterial toxins and a substance called LPS.
Changed gut chemicals
Saccharin altered 1743 chemical features in the mouse droppings. Chemicals that usually calm inflammation went down, while one linked to raising inflammation went up.
Body weight stayed similar
Both groups of mice gained about the same amount of weight over the six months. The control group gained 10.36g and the saccharin group gained 10.30g.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that giving mice saccharin for six months raised inflammation in the liver.
- They link this inflammation to changes in the gut bacteria and the chemicals those bacteria produce.
- They suggest that testing food additives should include looking at how they affect gut bacteria.
How it was done
Earlier work showed that saccharin can change gut bacteria, and changes to gut bacteria are often linked to inflammation. The authors wanted to see if saccharin could trigger inflammation by disrupting the gut environment.
They gave 10 male mice saccharin in their drinking water for six months, while another 10 mice got plain water. The dose matched the accepted daily intake set for people at 15mg per kg of body weight each day. They then checked the livers for inflammation and studied the gut bacteria and their chemical products.
What it can’t tell you
- This work was done only in male mice, so it cannot show what happens in people.
- A study like this can show that saccharin and liver inflammation happened together in these mice, but it cannot prove one caused the other in humans.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by NIEHS NIH HHS (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- University of Georgia, United States; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States
The paper
- Title
- Saccharin induced liver inflammation in mice by altering the gut microbiota and its metabolic functions
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Animals and lab studies
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Bian X, Tu P, Chi L, Gao B, Ru H, Lu K (2017). Saccharin induced liver inflammation in mice by altering the gut microbiota and its metabolic functions. Food and chemical toxicology. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2017.04.045Free full textPubMed 28472674DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error