According to a collaborative research study published by the American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, six artificial sweeteners indicate relative toxicity (aspartame, sucralose, saccharine, neotame, advantame, and acesulfame potassium-k) and 10 sport supplements contain these artificial sweeteners. When the bacteria found in the digestive system are exposed to concentrations of only one mg./ml. of the artificial sweeteners, they became toxic. 

"We modified bioluminescent E. coli bacteria, which luminesce when they detect toxicants and act as a sensing model representative of the complex microbial system," says Prof. Ariel Kushmaro, John A. Ungar Chair in Biotechnology in the Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, and member of the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev. "This is further evidence that consumption of artificial sweeteners adversely affects gut microbial activity which can cause a wide range of health issues."