Interesting, though of course preliminary given it’s in such a small group of people and we don’t understand much about the gut microbiome.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/885945
Since they are requiring a login, maybe a preview or a little detail would be helpful?
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Oh! Sorry I didn’t realize that. I guess because I found it via Google News search they bypassed the requirement for a login for me.
Basically the TLDR; is that artificial sweeteners may put people at risk for T2D by reducing the GLP-1 releasing response in the gut, one of the first small human trials shows. The methodology was quite rigorous, though the study was small, IMO:
“Habitual consumption of artificial sweeteners commonly found in diet drinks alters the gut’s response to glucose — affecting absorption, glycemic response, and response of gut glucagonlike peptide 1 (GLP-1) — results of a small, first-in-human study in healthy volunteers indicate.
The findings were presented here at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2016 Annual Meeting.
High levels of artificial-sweetener consumption could therefore predispose people to development of type 2 diabetes, lead researcher Richard Young, MD, from the Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Australia, hypothesized.”
Some facts about the study:
60 subjects, not diabetic, about 25% were men.
Some were randomized for two weeks to take either a pill that contained an amount of artificial sweetener equivalent to a typical diet soda or a placebo.
After an overnight fast, they were given endoscopy and a glucose infusion through the duodenal space. Then other parameters, such as blood glucose levels, glucose absorption in the gut, and GLP-1 release were measured.
The study found that both groups started the same, but after two weeks, the group that was consuming the artificial sweetener placebo had about 24% higher plasma glucose levels (i.e. higher BG) and 20% lower gut glucose absorption. They also found that less sugar was reaching the portion of the gut that has GLP-1 receptors – so the hypothesis is that the higher BG numbers were a result of the body releasing less GLP-1, which typically curbs BG rises, presumably because less of the glucose was absorbed by the particular cells needed to release GLP-1. GLP-2, GIP, and insulin responses were similar between groups.
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I believe that this is the second study that finds potential issuss with sweeteners and Type 2 diabetes.
That said, until the picture is 100% clear and the evidence is strong, I don’t plan to abstain from them. I use probably 10 packets of Splenda per day 
I have been through enough radical changes in conventional medical wisdom (margarine vs oil, carb vs fat, oil vs hydrating cream in burns etc.) that I am not ready to believe partial evidence from a small number of studies.
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I like the fact that I personally can consume artificial sweeteners and not worry about getting Type 2.
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I wouldn’t be too quick, maybe you still can… (insulin resistance)
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I use several packets of stevia each day, plus use stevia in my baking. I’ve developed some insulin resistance over the years, but I think it’s more to do with my weight gain than artificial sweeteners. Studies like these do make me wonder whether quitting stevia might help me lose weight, but I’ve read other studies showing that stevia (in particular) actually helps with weight loss (though maybe this is in comparison to sugar, I can’t remember).
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Well, ironically I didn’t start consuming artificial sweeteners until after my diagnosis. 
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Did anyone post this here before?
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Well, if it helps, this study was looking at an amount of artificial sweetener equivalent to 1.2 to 1.5 L of diet soda a day – I am not sure exactly how artificial sweetener amounts correlate to sugar amounts, but I think even several packets of stevia isn’t anywhere near that. I could be wrong though as I haven’t regularly used stevia – we do have some in my house for dad, who is T2, but I believe he only uses it for coffee.
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What do you use the packets for? Is it all for coffee or tea?
Mostly: that and yogurt 
Someone did once (possibly @Aaron?)- but it still absolutely hilarious, one of the best satires I have ever watched! I still laugh aloud as I watch it…
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Interesting topic but I still think consuming sweeteners is far better than sugar - I assume the placebo was a sugar drink - and it’s pretty clear consuming a bottle of that a day will make you first fat and then second a T2 diabetic
I’ve got plenty of non diabetic friends who only consume sweeteners and have done so for 30+ yrs - without stevia and other sweeteners we would be restricted to only drinking water which I would find very difficult !
I’ve worried in the past about artificial sweeteners but now use stevia and it’s a plant they’ve eaten in Brazil for eons - so I think it’s pretty safe (apart from the damn maltodextrin they often mix it with which raises my BG )
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The placebo was basically just a pill and didn’t have sugar, from what I understand. So they’re comparing stevia or other artificial sweetener to nothing.
IMO Drinking a bottle a day of soda is basically bad news… but to me the answer would be to cut out the soda habit and see it as an occasional treat, not to replace with diet versions. Maybe I’m a weirdo though in that my parents never let me drink soda growing up, I grew up not drinking it and so now I see it as something you only get in certain circumstances, not a daily habit. I drink a lot of flavored, unsweetened fizzy water, and I think I’d miss having that bubbly sensation, so I do get that it’s hard for people to completely quit that habit.
My completely subjective experience is that trying to replace one sweetened food for another doesn’t reduce my cravings for the foods… the easiest way for me to quit craving a food is to completely quit eating it (or its ersatz versions). So drinking diet soda still makes me crave more sweet things than if I just don’t eat anything sugary at all.
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I agree. But I do drink a couple of cups of coffee per day, with some Splenda also.
Of course coffee gets positive coverage these days. But I would still do it if it did not, like @docslotnick!
That was very funny. Thanks for posting that.
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