Impact of Sweeteners on Hunger & Food Consumption

Sugar-sweetened beverages have been implicated by many advocacy and research groups as being one of the causes of the current obesity epidemic.  Over time, this has lead to an abundance of drinks and other snacks sweetened with a variety of artificial sweeteners.  Among the many concerns that have been voiced about artificial sweeteners, there is some question as to whether these low-calorie drinks cause compensatory over-eating to make up for the reduced calories in these drinks.  A new study recently explored this possibility.

For this new study, nutrition researchers fed study volunteers a snack sweetened with one of three different sweeteners (stevia, aspartame, or sucrose [table sugar]) and then studied the impact of these snacks on hunger and food intake at later meals.  The snacks contained either 290 Calories (stevia-sweetened and aspartame-sweetened snacks) or 493 Calories (sucrose-sweetened snack).  Hunger levels were recorded before and after meals and throughout the test afternoon.  The study investigators reported that:

• Consumption of stevia- and aspartame-sweetened snacks did not cause an increase in calories consumed at lunch and dinner meals compared to consumption of sugar-sweetened snacks.
• Feelings of hunger or fullness were not different between the different sweeteners.
• Stevia-sweetened snacks appeared to do a better job of supporting normal blood sugar health compared to sugar-sweetened snacks.

These are interesting results that suggest low-calorie snacks or drinks will not induce compensatory eating behaviors.  This appears to be because feelings of hunger and/or fullness were not different between the three sweeteners despite the fact the stevia- and aspartame-sweetened snacks contained about 200 fewer calories than the sugar-sweetened snacks.   This ability of low-calorie sweeteners to achieve the same feelings of fullness at a lower calorie intake level suggests that consuming low-calorie snacks can be an effective way to reduce overall caloric intake and lose weight.  The International Food Information Council Foundation has some excellent material on low-calorie sweetener options if you want to read more on this topic.

Controlling calorie intake can be difficult for many of us.  Making appropriate food/beverage choices is an important part of controlling calorie intake.  My protein bars, shakes, and snacks are portion-controlled to help easily regulate calorie intake, making them a great part of my easy diet plan.

Sucralose Does Not Effect Glucose Absorption In Humans

Sucralose is one of the world's most popular artificial sweeteners; however, controversies regarding its effects on body weight are commonly discussed in the media.  This is because some animal studies have reported that sucralose consumption increases glucose absorption and weight gain.  However, a new study suggests that the results seen in animal studies do not apply to humans.

In this new study published online in the British Journal of Nutrition, researchers investigated the effect of sucralose consumption in ten human volunteers.   Volunteers received an infusion of either (1) a sucralose solution or (2) a saline solution control.  Changes in blood glucose and glucagon-like peptide-1, an appetite-related hormone, were examined over a 2 hour period after treatment infusions.  The results of this human clinical trial showed that infusion of sucralose did not affect levels of glucose or glucagon-like peptide-1.

According to a recent press release, the study researchers suggested that the lack of an effect of sucralose on glucose absorption observed in this human trial is likely due to species differences in how glucose is transported.  The predominant glucose transporter in rodents is present in much lower levels in human beings, perhaps explaining why sucralose does not appear to have a negative effect on blood sugar and body weight in people.  The International Food Information Council Foundation has an excellent publication on sucralose, Everything You Need To Know About Sucralose, that is free to download if you want to read more about sucralose.

High protein, low-glycemic soy protein and milk protein shakes and bars can be a great part of a healthy weight management plan.  My easy diet plan takes advantage these low-glycemic benefits.