3. Artificial Sweeteners
You might not want to switch from sugar to artificial sweeteners either.
Taub-Dix says that sugar alcohols and other artificial sweeteners can cause bloating, stomach pain, painful gas, and diarrhea. “These reactions don’t happen to everyone, but eating a lot of foods with sugar alcohols can make your stomach upset.”
Also, Dr. Ivanina says that artificial sweeteners could change the bacteria in the gut that are in charge of metabolism, which could lead to obesity and diabetes.
A study published in September 2018 in the journal Molecules found that artificial sweeteners can hurt the bacteria in your gut.
​Check the labels on your food to see if it has any artificial sweeteners. “To find sugar alcohols like sorbitol, look for words that end in ‘-ol,'” Taub-Dix says.