Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Walstrom, Katherine

Keywords

Obesity, Artificial Sweeteners, Nematodes, Caenorhabditis elegans, C. elegans

Area of Concentration

Chemistry

Abstract

Global rates of obesity have skyrocketed over the last fifty years to epidemic proportions. Consumption of artificial sweeteners has risen concurrently with the rise in obesity. The efficacy of artificial sweeteners for weight loss is unclear and their widespread usage has recently been called into question. We investigated the effects of three popular artificial sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose) on the fertility, longevity, and body fat content of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Relative to the control, nematodes treated with aspartame or saccharin exhibited depressed fertility and increased body fat, with no effect on pharyngeal pumping rate, a surrogate marker for lifespan. Nematodes treated with sucralose displayed increased body fat and normal fertility and longevity. Those exposed to sucrose showed increased fertility, longevity, and body fat content. All three sweetener groups and the sucrose group had significantly higher body fat contents than the control worms grown on standard NGM and OP50 bacteria. Our findings indicate that artificial sweeteners may not be favorable alternatives to sugar and highlight the need for more research into the effect of artificial sweeteners on the metabolism in both bacteria and higher organisms since some of the observed effects may have resulted from changes in OP50 metabolism. This is especially important considering recent research showing that artificial sweeteners have a significant effect on mammalian gut microbiota (Suez et al., 2014). Suez, J. et al. (2014) Nature 514, 181.

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