Artificial sweeteners may exacerbate, rather than prevent, metabolic disorders such as Type 2 diabetes, a study suggests.
It could be that artificial sweeteners lead to an expansion of bacterial species that extract energy from food that often gets stored as fat, contributing to obesity, Nagler said. It's also possible the sweeteners could suppress the growth of other bacteria that seem to stave off insulin resistance, she said.
Artificial sweeteners linked to obesity epidemic, scientists say - Health - CBC News
I'm well below average with a 32" waist that hasn't changed since my mid 20s. I avoid chemicals in food, including artificial anything.