Most cells in our body are not human, but microbial; the ratio of 'them' to 'us' is about 10: 1. Perturbations of host-microbe interactions can lead to miscues and altered host responses that increase the risk of pathogenic processes and promote "western" disorders, such as obesity, diabetes, cancers, allergies, autism, asthma and in flammatory bowel diseases. In theory, dietary components can affect the equilibrium between intestinal microbes and the host, leading to altered physiology. A recent report in Nature provides additional evidence to support this theory, where it was found that the use of artificial sweeteners enhanced the risk of glucose intolerance in both mice and humans by altering the composition and behavior of the intestinal microbiota. Notably, changes of the bacterial Taxa (an over-representation of Bacteroides and an under-representation of Clostridiales) following the consumption of artificial sweeteners was previously found to be associated with type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases.