Hidden Link Between Artificial Sweeteners and Chronic Pain
If you're living with chronic back or neck pain, you've probably experimented with everything—stretches, heating pads, over-the-counter medications. But have you thought about the impact your diet drinks and “sugar-free” snacks may have? Emerging research intimates that artificial sweeteners might be harming your pain relief efforts through an unexpected pathway: your gut. Most Chiropractic Clinic is here to explore any possible avenues to help you get your pain under control!
THE GUT-PAIN CONNECTION
Your gut isn't just in charge of digestion—it's home to trillions of microorganisms that influence inflammation throughout your entire body, including your spine and neck. Recent groundbreaking research has revealed a direct link between artificial sweeteners, gut health, and chronic pain sensitivity.
A 2025 Mendelian randomization study by Zhao and colleagues demonstrated that artificially sweetened foods can actually cause chronic pain by disturbing the gut microbiota. (1) This isn't just correlation—the research shows a causal relationship between consuming these sweeteners and higher pain levels.
HOW SWEETNERS TRIGGER PAIN
Artificial sweeteners can alter the balance of beneficial bacteria living in your digestive system. These disrupted microbes trigger inflammatory responses that travel throughout your body. As described in a comprehensive 2019 review by Guo and colleagues in the British Journal of Anaesthesia, the gut microbiota directly regulates pain through multiple molecular mechanisms, including immune system activation and nerve sensitivity. (2)
For back and neck pain sufferers seeking help at Most Chiropractic Clinic, this inflammation can raise pain sensitivity in already weak areas. Your spinal nerves become more reactive, making existing discomfort worse and potentially slowing your recovery.
TAKING ACTION
Before your next chiropractic appointment, consider removing artificial sweeteners from your diet. This would entail reading labels on diet sodas, protein bars, yogurts, and sugar-free desserts for things like aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin
Chiropractic physicians recognize that pain management requires a whole-body approach. While spinal adjustments address mechanical dysfunction, lowering inflammation through dietary modifications can significantly boost treatment outcomes. By boosting your gut health, you're making an internal environment more conducive to healing and less receptive to pain signals. Little dietary changes might be a great extra to your pain relief strategy with Most Chiropractic Clinic.
Your route to back pain relief and/or neck pain relief may start with what you remove from your shopping cart.
CONTACT Most Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox, on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the impact inflammation has on the immune system and the help chiropractic care like The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management that Murfreesboro chiropractic patients may experience.
