Impact of stevia on microbiome?

Andrew Huberman has discussed the impact of artificial sweeteners, including stevia, on the gut microbiome. He noted that while sweeteners like saccharine have been shown to disrupt the gut microbiome, stevia and monk fruit are chemically distinct and probably don't have strong negative effects, if any, on the gut microbiome. He pointed out, however, that more research is needed to fully understand stevia's impact 1. In another discussion, Dr. Huberman mentioned that stevia does not appear to negatively impact the gut microbiome and highlighted that it is unique among non-caloric sweeteners in this regard 2.

It's important to note that while there is research indicating that other artificial sweeteners may have detrimental effects on the gut microbiome, the data on stevia specifically are not conclusive, and Dr. Huberman has called for quality, peer-reviewed research to determine if stevia impacts the gut microbiome similarly or differently from other sweeteners 3.