What researchers have discovered about sugary sodas changes everything we thought we knew about the microbiota

Researchers have studied a well-known intestinal bacterium: Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron.

Normally, it's one of the "good guys" in our microbiota. It helps digestion, supports the immune system and contributes to intestinal balance. But under the influence of refined white sugar, it starts to act... differently.

According to the article published by New Atlas and picked up by Slate, this sugar causes an inversion of the bacterium's DNA - a bit like turning parts of its genetic code inside out. This transformation does not destroy the bacterium, but changes the genes it activates. As a result, it temporarily "disguises" itself and ceases to play its beneficial role.

Researchers compare this inversion to a genetic "costume change".

Nothing irreversible: when the effects of sugar disappear, the bacteria revert to their original form.

But repeated exposure - typically, regular consumption of sweetened beverages - could accentuate this mechanism and unbalance the microbiota.

What's more surprising? Until now, this phenomenon has been observed in pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli or Salmonella, which use this ability to evade the immune system.

To see the same reaction in a normally beneficial bacterium is what scientists call "surprising and worrying".

Simply put: refined sugar can turn an allied bacterium into an intestinal double agent.

The researchers also observed that after exposure to these sugars, the "modified" bacteria were accompanied by an abnormal immune response.

Inflammatory markers such as cytokines increased, indicating that the body was reacting as if to a threat.

Even if the bacteria eventually return to their normal state, frequent consumption of sodas or sweetened products could sustain low-grade inflammation, the kind found in many digestive or metabolic disorders.

No need to ban sugar for life (phew!), but this study shows just how sensitive our microbiota is to what we eat.

Every sweet drink we swallow not only feeds our taste buds: it also affects the biological balance of our intestinal flora.

And the more this flora is disturbed, the more it influences our health - digestion, immune system, mood, everything.

In other words :

• Yes, an occasional soda is fine.
• But consuming it often is like pressing the "imbalance" button on your intestine over and over again.