Commercially available non-nutritive sweeteners modulate the antioxidant status of type 2 diabetic rats

Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are increasingly being used by diabetics, but little is known about their effects on antioxidant status. We investigated the effects of ad libitum consumption of commercially available NNS (aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, and cyclamate-based sweeteners) on antioxidative markers in a rat model of type 2 diabetes (T2D). NNS consumption reduced (p < 0.05) T2D-induced lipid peroxidation and boosted serum, hepatic, renal, cardiac, and pancreatic glutathione (GSH) levels. Catalase, glutathione reductase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase activity was increased in the serum and most organs upon diabetes induction, perhaps due to adaptative antioxidant response to the diabetes-induced lipid peroxidation. NNS showed varying effects on serum and tissue antioxidant enzymes of animals. An antioxidant capacity scores sheet of NNS, suggest that aspartame-based NNS may not exert antioxidant effects in diabetics, while saccharin-based NNS may be a potent antioxidative sweetener as seen in the animal model of T2D.