NO KIDDING –
Aug. 29, 2025 – Individuals with melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer who consumed large amounts of sucralose responded less effectively to immunotherapy and had lower survival rates compared with those who consumed little of the sweetener. Notably, in mouse experiments, supplements that increased levels of the amino acid arginine counteracted the negative influence of sucralose on immunotherapy, pointing to a potential strategy that could be explored in clinical trials.
“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 lead author Abby Overacre, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Immunology at Pitt and UPMC Hillman. “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.”
