Aspartame: effect on lunch-time food intake, appetite and hedonic response in children.
Anderson GH, Saravis S, Schacher R, Zlotkin S, Leiter LA.
Department of Medicine, University of Toronto.
Two experiments were conducted, each with 20 healthy 9-10-year-old children. After an
overnight fast, subjects were given a standardized breakfast at 0830 hrs, the treatments
at 1030 hrs, and a lunch containing an excess of foods at 1200 hrs. Visual analog scales
of hunger, fullness, and desire to eat were administered 5 min before and 20 and 85 min
after treatment. Lunch-time food intake was measured. In experiment 1, either aspartame
(34 mg/kg), or the equivalent sweetness of sodium cyclamate, was given in an ice slurry
(300 ml) of unsweetened strawberry Kool-Aid with carbohydrate (1.75 g/kg polycose). In
experiment 2, drinks (300 ml) contained either sucrose (1.75 g/kg) or aspartame (9.7 mg/kg).
In both experiments, significant meal- and time-dependent effects were observed for subjective
feelings of hunger, fullness and desire to eat. Treatments, however, did not affect either
subjective feelings of appetite or lunch-time food intake. Thus, aspartame consumed
without or with carbohydrate, did not affect either hunger or food intake of children
when compared with the sweeteners sodium cyclamate and sucrose, respectively.
Physiol Behav. 1991 Apr;49(4):803-10.
Soft drinks with aspartame: effect on subjective hunger, food
selection, and food intake of young adult males.
Black RM, Tanaka P, Leiter LA, Anderson GH.
Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada.
Ingestion of aspartame-sweetened beverages has been reported to increase subjective measures
of appetite. This study examined the effects of familiar carbonated soft drinks sweetened
with aspartame on subjective hunger, energy intake and macronutrient selection at a lunch-time
meal. Subjects were 20 normal weight young adult males, classified as either restrained or
nonrestrained eaters. Four treatments of carbonated beverages included 280 ml of mineral water,
one can of a soft drink (280 ml) consumed in either 2 or 10 minutes, or two cans of a soft
drink (560 ml) consumed in 10 minutes, administered at 11:00 a.m. Subjective hunger and food
appeal were measured from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and food intake data were obtained from a
buffet lunch given at 12:00 noon. There were no treatment effects on energy intake,
macronutrient selection or food choice at the lunch-time meal, or food appeal, though restrained
eaters consumed more than nonrestrained eaters in all four treatment conditions. Consumption
of two soft drinks (560 ml, 320 mg aspartame) significantly reduced subjective hunger from 11:05
a.m. to 11:30 a.m. compared to one soft drink (280 ml, 160 mg aspartame) or 280 ml of mineral
water. Thus ingestion of soft drinks containing aspartame did not increase short-term subjective
hunger or food intake.
Am J Clin Nutr. 1991 May;53(5):1159-64.
Effects of consumption of caloric vs noncaloric sweet drinks on indices
of hunger and food consumption in normal adults.
Canty DJ, Chan MM.
Department of Nutrition, Food and Hotel Management, New York University, NY 10003.
This study examined the effects of aspartame, saccharin, and sucrose on hunger and food
intake. Twenty normal adults consumed a standard breakfast followed 3 h later by 200 mL
of either water or a sweetened drink. One hour later, subjects' ad libitum consumption
of a standardized lunch was measured. Subjects recorded self-assessments of hunger-related
indices every half hour on visual analogue scales (VAS). ANOVA with repeated measures
showed a significant effect of drink type on VAS scores 15 and 45 min after drinks were
consumed but not for other times or for lunch consumption. Hunger-related ratings after
drink consumption were generally highest for water, lower for noncaloric sweeteners (NCSs),
and lowest for sugar. Pairwise comparisons of means showed that only the ratings for
sugar and water were significantly different. The results show that, under the conditions
of this study, NCSs do not increase hunger or food intake.
Physiol Behav. 1990 Jun;47(6):1037-44.
Effects of aspartame and sucrose on hunger and energy intake in humans.
Mattes R.
Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
Physiological and behavioral responses to high intensity sweeteners have been
poorly characterized, leading to questions regarding their utility in weight
management regimens. To address this issue, studies must independently control
attributes such as the taste properties, chemical composition and energy contribution
of a given sweetener, as well as subject expectations of its effects. In the present
study, 24 adults of normal weight consumed breakfasts including unsweetened or
sweetened (sucrose or aspartame) cereal for 5 days, during which hunger and energy
intake were monitored. The cereals were rated as equally sweet and pleasant and were
equicaloric. Half of the subjects were aware of the cereal composition. Neither
sweet taste nor aspartame alone significantly affected reported hunger, daily
energy intake or subsequent selection of foods with varying taste qualities. Energy
intake tended to be more strongly influenced by perceptions of the energy value of
the experimental breakfast. Thus, this study failed to find an appetite stimulating
effect of either sweetness or sweetener (aspartame or sucrose).
Appetite. 1988;11 Suppl 1:12-5.
The effect of non-nutritive sweeteners on body weight in rats.
Porikos KP, Koopmans HS.
Department of Medical Physiology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Artificial sweeteners are used to provide a sweet taste to a food while removing the
calories associated with sugar. The importance of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) for
the control of body weight has never been proved. In this long-term study, 81 rats fed
ad libitum on chow and water were given either an 11% sucrose solution, a solution
artificially sweetened with saccharin and aspartame or served as controls. Over an 8-week
period, the sucrose rats gained considerable weight while the NNS rats showed the same
weight gain as controls. When the sweetened solutions were switched, obese sucrose rats
lost weight during the next 8 weeks while rats previously on NNS gained weight rapidly.
The results show that substitution of artificial sweeteners for sugars prevents weight
gain and promotes weight loss in rats.
Am J Clin Nutr. 1977 Oct;30(10):1638-44.
Effect of covert nutritive dilution on the spontaneous food
intake of obese individuals: a pilot study.
Porikos KP, Booth G, Van Itallie TB.
The present study investigated the feasibility of a new experimental
approach for studying the effect of covert nutritive dilution on the
spontaneous food intake of obese individuals. Eight obese subjects were
studied as inpatients on a metabolic unit for 15 days during which time
they were unaware that their food intake was being monitored. A platter
method of food presentation encouraged ad libitum ingestion. Caloric dilution
was achieved by replacing sucrose-containing products with aspartame-sweetened
analogues in an otherwise normal diet. During the base-line period the subjects
spontaneously ate sufficient conventional food to maintain or even slightly
increase body weight. Covert substitution of aspartame-sweetened products
for their sucrose counterparts resulted in an immediate reduction in
spontaneous energy intake of approximately 25%. The aspartame analogues
were as well accepted as their conventional counterparts, as indicated by
the equal quantity of each consumed. These preliminary results demonstrate
that, in a metabolic ward setting, it is possible to maintain the spontaneous
food intake of obese individuals at levels sufficient to preserve body weight
and arbitrarily to decrease those levels of intake by 25% or more through covert
changes in the caloric density of the diet.
Physiol Behav. 1994 Jan;55(1):139-43.
Intense sweeteners, food intake, and the weight of a body of evidence.
Renwick AG.
Clinical Pharmacology Group, University of Southampton, UK.
A review of published data shows that although intense sweeteners have been shown to
increase hunger ratings in some studies in humans, this has not been a consistent and
reproducible observation. Any slight effect on perceived hunger has not been
translated into an increase in food ingestion or effects on blood concentrations
of insulin or glucose. Studies on the covert substitution of caloric sweeteners by
intense sweeteners have shown either a decrease or no change in body weight. The
published database does not support the concept that the consumption of intense
sweeteners results in a paradoxical increase in calorie intake and body weight.
Am J Clin Nutr. 1990 Mar;51(3):428-35.
Comparative effects of fructose, aspartame, glucose, and water
preloads on calorie and macronutrient intake.
Rodin J.
Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520.
Using a within-subjects design, we gave over-weight and normal-weight subjects
a 500-mL drink of fructose, glucose, or aspartame diluted in lemon-flavored
water or plain water in a randomized fashion at about weekly intervals. Food
intake was assessed at a buffet lunch that began 38 min after the preload was
completed. Blood was drawn throughout and assayed for concentrations of glucose,
insulin, glucagon, and free fatty acid. When subjects drank the fructose preload,
they subsequently ate fewer overall calories and fewer grams of fat than when
they drank any of the other preloads. The aspartame load did not stimulate
intake beyond the plain-water control. The effects of the oxidation of fructose
as a possible mechanism for the reduction in food intake is discussed. The
effects of insulin in stimulating intake are also discussed.
Am J Clin Nutr. 1991 Apr;53(4):872-8.
Effects of intense sweeteners on hunger, food intake, and body weight: a review.
Rolls BJ.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205.
The sweet taste of aspartame, saccharin, and acesulfame-K has been reported to
increase ratings of hunger and, after saccharin consumption, to increase food
intake. However, most investigators have found that aspartame consumption is
associated with decreased or unchanged ratings of hunger. Even if aspartame
consumption increases ratings of hunger in some situations, it apparently has
little impact on the controls of food intake and body weight. Aspartame has not
been found to increase food intake; indeed, both short-term and long-term studies
have shown that consumption of aspartame-sweetened foods or drinks is associated
with either no change or a reduction in food intake. Preliminary clinical trials
suggest that aspartame may be useful aid in a complete diet-and-exercise program
or in weight maintenance. Intense sweeteners have never been found to cause
weight gain in humans.
Appetite. 1988;11 Suppl 1:62-7.
Comparison of the effects of aspartame and sucrose on appetite and food intake.
Rolls BJ, Hetherington M, Laster LJ.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.
We have studied the effects of consumption of foods sweetened with either
sucrose or aspartame on appetite ratings and food intake. Normal weight,
non-dieting subjects ate the same amount of high- and low-calorie versions
of pudding or jello and despite the resulting difference in caloric intake,
showed only a non-significant trend towards compensation in a lunch one or
two hours later. There were no significant differences between rated hunger,
fullness, desire to eat, the amount subjects wanted to eat, or sensory-specific
satiety following the high- and low-calorie foods. Knowing the caloric values
of the foods did not influence intake or appetite ratings in that both informed
and uninformed subjects responded similarly. Thus in the short term subjects
tended to eat a constant amount of a particular food and this volume had a
greater effect on appetite ratings and subsequent intake than the calories
consumed.
Appetite. 1989 Oct;13(2):115-27.
Hunger and food intake following consumption of low-calorie foods.
Rolls BJ, Laster LJ, Summerfelt A.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Although high-intensity sweeteners are widely used to decrease the energy
density of foods, little is known about how this affects hunger and food intake.
We have studied the effects of consumption of commercially available foods sweetened
with either sucrose or aspartame on subjective appetite ratings and food intake.
When normal-weight non-dieting males and females were given large portions of
either a high- or low-calorie pudding or jello and instructed to eat as much as
they liked, they ate similar weights of the different caloric versions of each
food. Despite the resulting difference in caloric intake (up to 206 kcal), subjects
showed only a non-significant trend towards caloric compensation when presented
with a variety of foods 2 h later. Total caloric intake (preload plus test meal)
did not differ between conditions. Ratings of hunger, desire to eat, the amount
subjects wanted to eat, and the pleasantness of the taste of the eaten food were
similarly decreased and fullness similarly increased by consumption of the different
caloric versions of the foods. Awareness of the caloric content of the foods
did not influence intake or appetite in that both informed and uniformed subjects
responded similarly in the tests. Thus reduced calorie foods suppressed ratings
of hunger for several hours after consumption, but were not associated with a
significant reduction in total energy intake.
Physiol Behav. 1990 Jul;48(1):19-26.
Effects of drinks sweetened with sucrose or aspartame on hunger,
thirst and food intake in men.
Rolls BJ, Kim S, Fedoroff IC.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205.
Forty-two nondieting adult males were given 8 or 16 oz of lemonade, sweetened
to equal intensity with either aspartame or sucrose, or the same volumes of
water, or no drink. Subjects were separated into three groups receiving the
drinks at different times: with a self-selection lunch, or 30, or 60 min before
lunch. Food intakes did not differ when subjects received the drinks with lunch;
however, when the calories from the drinks were included, intake was
significantly greater with the sucrose-sweetened lemonades than in the other
conditions. When subjects received the drinks 30 or 60 min before lunch, food
intakes were not significantly different. Appetite ratings were not different
among the conditions. When the drinks were consumed with the meal, the 8-oz
sucrose-sweetened lemonade differed from the other drinks in that it did not
significantly reduce thirst. The results indicate that in nondieting males,
aspartame in concentrations similar to those in commercially available drinks
did not increase hunger ratings or food intake. However, caloric drinks taken
with lunch increased total energy intake in that meal. Also, sucrose-sweetened
drinks may decrease thirst less than water or aspartame-sweetened drinks when
taken with a meal.
Am J Clin Nutr. 1990 Jun;51(6):963-9.
Effect of drinking soda sweetened with aspartame or high-fructose
corn syrup on food intake and body weight.
Tordoff MG, Alleva AM.
Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia 19104.
To examine whether artificial sweeteners aid in the control of long-term
food intake and body weight, we gave free-living, normal-weight subjects 1150 g
soda sweetened with aspartame (APM) or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) per day.
Relative to when no soda was given, drinking APM-sweetened soda for 3 wk
significantly reduced calorie intake of both females (n = 9) and males (n = 21)
and decreased the body weight of males but not of females. However, drinking
HFCS-sweetened soda for 3 wk significantly increased the calorie intake and body
weight of both sexes. Ingesting either type of soda reduced intake of sugar from
the diet without affecting intake of other nutrients. Drinking large volumes of
APM-sweetened soda, in contrast to drinking HFCS-sweetened soda, reduces sugar
intake and thus may facilitate the control of calorie intake and body weight.
Obes Rev. 2003 May;4(2):91-9.
Effects of sugar intake on body weight: a review.
Vermunt SH, Pasman WJ, Schaafsma G, Kardinaal AF.
TNO Nutrition and Food Research, Department of Nutritional
Physiology, Zeist, the Netherlands. Vermunt@voeding.tno.nl
Weight reduction programmes are mainly focused on reducing intake of
fat and sugar. In this review we have evaluated whether the replacement
of dietary (added) sugar by low-energy sweeteners or complex carbohydrates
contributes to weight reduction. In two experimental studies, no short-term
differences in weight loss were observed after use of aspartame as compared
to sugar in obese subjects following a controlled energy-restricted diet.
However, consumption of aspartame was associated with improved weight
maintenance after a year. In two short-term studies in which energy intake
was not restricted, substitution of sucrose by artificial sweeteners,
investigated mostly in beverages, resulted in lower energy intake and
lower body weight. Similarly, two short-term studies, comparing the effect
of sucrose and starch on weight loss in obese subjects did not find
differences when the total energy intake was equal and reduced. An ad libitum
diet with complex carbohydrates resulted in lower energy intake compared to
high-sugar diets. In two out of three studies, this was reflected in lower
body weight in subjects consuming the complex carbohydrate diet. In conclusion,
a limited number of relatively short-term studies suggest that replacing
(added) sugar by low-energy sweeteners or by complex carbohydrates in an
ad libitum diet might result in lower energy intake and reduced body weight.
In the long term, this might be beneficial for weight maintenance. However,
the number of studies is small and overall conclusions, in particular for
the long term, cannot be drawn.
