A new study published in the journal Appetite suggests that People do not compensate with extra calories after consuming foods and drinks sweetened with zero-calorie sweeteners,
Research has suggested that consuming low- or zero-calorie foods and beverages can prompt the brain to expect calories that do not arrive, thereby triggering hunger and subsequent overeating. However, the findings of this latest study suggest that this may not be the case.
The researchers tested the effect of stevia, aspartame or sucrose on satiety, hunger and blood glucose and inulin levels in both lean and obese individuals. They gave participants a stevia, aspartame or sucrose-sweetened pre-meal snack 20 minutes before meals, with each of the stevia and aspartame-sweetened snacks containing 290 calories, while the sucrose-sweetened snacks contained 493 calories.
At meals, participants were told they could consume as much or as little as they liked.
The researchers wrote: “Participants did not compensate by eating more at either their lunch or dinner meal and reported similar levels of satiety when they consumed lower calorie preloads containing stevia or aspartame than when they consumed higher calorie preloads containing sucrose.”
Source: Appetite
Vol. 55 (2010), pp. 37-43
“Effects of stevia, aspartame, and sucrose on food intake, satiety, and postprandial glucose and insulin levels”
Authors: Stephen Anton, Corby Martin, Hongmei Han, Sandra Coulon, William Cefalu, Paula Geiselman, Donald Williamson
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