Nutrition & Diet

Going Completely Sugar-Free May Harm Your Gut and Metabolism, Study Finds

A new study challenges the idea that cutting sugar entirely is always healthier. Researchers fed mice a low-fat, sucrose-free diet for 16 weeks and compared them to mice eating a low-fat diet with some sucrose. Surprisingly, the sugar-free mice developed worse blood sugar control, insulin resistance, gut microbiome imbalances, intestinal inflammation, and early signs of fatty liver disease — despite having similar body weights. The findings suggest that completely eliminating sugar may disrupt the gut microbiome and metabolic function in ways that outweigh any expected benefits. Researchers emphasize that dietary balance, including some carbohydrates, may matter more than strict sugar elimination for long-term metabolic and gut health.