Hidden Link Between Artificial Sweeteners and Chronic Pain

If you are living with chronic back or neck pain, you've probably tested everything—stretches, heating pads, over-the-counter medications. But have you considered what's in your diet drinks and "sugar-free" snacks? Developing research intimates that artificial sweeteners might be impairing your pain relief efforts through an unexpected pathway: your gut. Moriarty Chiropractic is here to explore any potential avenues to help you get your pain under control!

THE GUT-PAIN CONNECTION

Your gut isn't just responsible for digestion—it's home to trillions of microorganisms that impact inflammation throughout your entire body, including your spine and neck. Recent groundbreaking research has described a direct link between artificial sweeteners, gut health, and chronic pain sensitivity.

A 2025 Mendelian randomization study by Zhao and colleagues pointed out 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 elevated pain levels.

HOW SWEETNERS TRIGGER PAIN

When you consume artificial sweeteners, they alter the composition of your gut bacteria. These disrupted microbes generate inflammatory responses that go throughout your body. Research released in the British Journal of Anaesthesia by Guo and colleagues shows that gut bacteria impact pain levels by altering immune responses and how sensitive your nerves become. (2)

For back and neck pain sufferers seeking help at Moriarty Chiropractic, this inflammation can heighten pain sensitivity in already weak areas. Your spinal nerves become more reactive, making an already uncomfortable situation worse and potentially slowing your recovery.

TAKING ACTION

Before you see us again, consider eliminating artificial sweeteners from your diet. This would entail checking 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 tackle mechanical dysfunction, decreasing inflammation through dietary modifications can significantly boost treatment outcomes. By sustaining your gut health, you're making an internal environment more beneficial to healing and less open to pain signals. Small dietary changes might be a big extra to your pain relief strategy with Moriarty Chiropractic.

Your route to back pain relief and/or neck pain relief may begin with what you take out of your grocery cart.

CONTACT Moriarty Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox, on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the impact inflammation has on the immune system and the benefit of chiropractic care like The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management that Nashua chiropractic patients may experience.

Schedule your Nashua chiropractic appointment today.