Can sugar-free biscuits curb appetite in overweight adults? New study explores

In a recent study published in E-biomedicinea team of scientists evaluated endocrine responses and appetite changes associated with acute and repeated exposure to sweeteners and sweetness enhancers, such as stevia and neotame, and compared changes in sucrose in a study population of overweight or obese adults. We compared.

study: Acute 2-week effects of neotame, Stevia Rebaudioside M, and sucrose-sweetened biscuits on postprandial appetite and endocrine responses in overweight/obese adults – a SWEET Consortium randomized crossover trial. Image credit: Prasert Wongchindawest/Shutterstock.com

background

Unhealthy dietary patterns have rapidly increased in the past few decades, making obesity and associated metabolic abnormalities a global public health concern. Excess weight is often caused by a combination of an energy-rich diet and a sedentary lifestyle.

In addition, research has also shown that diets consisting primarily of simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, can also cause altered hormonal responses, leading to increased weight gain and fat storage.

Given sugar's low mineral, vitamin and fiber content, and problems associated with changes in endocrine responses and appetite, health and medical researchers and policy makers are working to reduce the intake of free sugars in the diet. The focus has been on eliminating.

A widely used strategy to reduce intake of free sugars is to replace them with sweetness enhancers or non-nutritive sweeteners.

However, given the lack of evidence regarding the long-term benefits of non-nutritive sweeteners, World Health Organization guidelines recommend that sweeteners and It specifies that non-nutritive sweeteners should not be considered healthier options. Risk of metabolic or non-communicable diseases.

These guidelines highlight the need for robust research to understand the immediate and long-term effects of non-nutritive sweeteners.

About research

In this study, researchers sought to understand how the acute and repeated effects of consuming sweeteners or non-nutritive sweeteners differ from those of consuming sweeteners in the United Kingdom and France. We conducted a randomized crossover trial among a study population of 53 overweight or obese adults. Free sugar.

Because stevia and neotame are two sweetness enhancers or non-nutritive sweeteners that are widely used and approved in the European Union, researchers compared the endocrine responses and appetite changes associated with stevia and neotame intake to those of sucrose. I compared it with

Sucrose was chosen as the free sugar in this study because it is widely used in baked goods not only as a sweetener but also as a bulking agent, preservative, and moisture source.

The study included men and women aged 18 to 60 years with a BMI of 25 to 35 kg/m.²are classified as overweight or obese.

In addition, the subjects had a score of 3 or more on the meal frequency questionnaire regarding habitual intake of sweets and a score of less than 20 on the dietary attitude questionnaire.

In this randomized crossover study, participants consumed fruit-filled biscuits containing neotame, stevia, or sucrose for 2 weeks, with a 1-week washout period between each intake period. Treatments were also stratified by age and gender.

Experiments to assess subjective appetite, including desire to eat, hunger, thirst, satiety, nausea, future intake, bloating, sensory-specific satiety, and appetite for sweet and savory foods. Room sessions were held on the first and last day. each consumption period.

Additional assessments include measurements of food reward, food preference, and endocrine and glycemic responses such as insulin, glucose, glucagon-like peptide 1, pancreatic polypeptide, and ghrelin.

result

The results showed that replacing sucrose with neotame or stevia significantly reduced postprandial glucose and insulin responses in obese or overweight adults, while having no effect on endocrine responses or appetite.

Appetite scores and food preference assessment results showed no differences related to neotame or stevia intake.

The reduction in insulin response was similar after both neotame and stevia compared to the insulin response after sucrose ingestion. Still, the change in glucose response after neotame ingestion was not as pronounced as the decrease in glucose response after stevia ingestion compared to the glucose response after sucrose ingestion.

Levels of ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide 1, and pancreatic polypeptide showed that sweetness enhancers and nonnutritive sweeteners did not affect the satiety response during the acute phase (1 day) or after repeated exposure.

conclusion

Overall, the results of this study suggest that replacing free sugars such as sucrose with non-nutritive sweeteners such as stevia or neotame may reduce postprandial blood sugar and insulin responses, but may reduce satiety, appetite, and food intake. showed no effect on preferences.