Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Findings from a study in mice suggest that using a common artificial sweetener, sucralose, could hamper certain immunotherapy treatments in cancer patients.
However, for folks reluctant to give up the ubiquitous sweetener, the same team of scientists may have found a way around the problem: Giving mice a supplement that boosts levels of the natural amino acid arginine appeared to negate the effect.
"It's easy to say, 'Stop drinking diet soda,' but when patients are being treated for cancer, they are already dealing with enough, so asking them to drastically alter their diet may not be realistic," said study lead author Abby Overacre, an assistant professor of immunology at the University of Pittsburgh.
"We need to meet patients where they are. That's why it's so exciting that arginine supplementation could be a simple approach to counteract the negative effects of sucralose on immunotherapy," she said.
Related
