Jul 22
A new study published in the journal Appetite demonstrates that low-calorie sweeteners provide the same feeling of fullness as sugar. The research, which was conducted by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, found that people who consume stevia or aspartame rather than sugar do not compensate by eating more at either lunch or dinner. Further, they reported similar levels of satiety compared to when they consumed the higher calorie sucrose.
The researchers noted consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages may be one of the dietary causes of metabolic disorders, such as obesity. Therefore, substituting sugar with low-calorie sweeteners may be a good weight-management strategy. They tested the effect of preloads containing stevia, aspartame or sucrose on food intake, satiety and postprandial glucose and insulin levels in 12 obese and 19 healthy and lean individuals, all between the ages of 18 and 50. Participants completed three separate food test days during which they received preloads containing stevia (with 290 calories), aspartame (with 290 calories) or sucrose (with 493 calories) before lunch and dinner. The preload order was balanced, and they calculated how many calories each participate ate. Hunger and satiety levels were reported before and after meals, and every hour throughout the afternoon. Additionally, participants provided blood samples immediately before and 20 minutes after the lunch preload.
Despite the caloric difference in preloads, participants did not compensate by eating more at their lunch and dinner meals when they consumed either stevia or aspartame versus sucrose in preloads. Those who had the stevia preload consumed an average of 301 fewer calories than sucrose, and those who had the aspartame preload consumed a mean of 330 fewer calories than sucrose. Self-reported hunger and satiety levels also did not differ between the groups.