In a recent study in 2022, researchers demonstrated how common artificial sweeteners such as saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, and stevia, changes the gut microbiome in humans. Although the mechanism that connects changes in gut microbiome and consumption of artificial sweeteners is unknown, researchers do know that they do change the intestinal bacteria. When bacteria in the gut is modified this can impact how easily the body moves glucose from the blood into muscle and fat, which can lead to weight gain and diabetes.