> bacteria that can digest the sweetener win big, others lose out. Artificial sweeteners tend to be very sweet, so the actual amount consumed is quite small, w

> bacteria that can digest the sweetener win big, others lose out. Artificial sweeteners tend to be very sweet, so the actual amount consumed is quite small, which means that their caloric content available to hypothetical bacteria that can digest them is also small. I imagine that something else is going on here, likely involving the fact that sweeteners taste sweet and that the act of eating something sweet may have some effect in and of itself.