Abstract:
Studies of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) in diabetes models have been limited to
their pure forms or NNS-sweetened products. Hence, we conducted a comparative
study on the effects of commercial table-top NNS on diabetes-related parameters
in non-diabetic rats. Normal animals were fed for 5 weeks with aqueous solutions
of aspartame-, sucralose-, stevia-, sodium cyclamate- and saccharin-based commercial
NNS at concentrations equivalent to the sweetness of 10% sucrose solution and
thereafter food intake, blood glucose, lipid profile, and biochemical parameters were
measured. Aspartame adversely affected blood cholesterols, while cyclamate increased
food intake and weight gain. Stevia reduced weight gain and exhibited insulinotropic
effects. These data in normal rats hypothetically suggest that stevia-based
NNS may help in glycemic control and body weight management, while cyclamateand
aspartame-based NNS may increase body weight and risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Further clinical studies are, however, required to confirm the results of this
study.
Practical applications
The use of NNS is becoming more popular, especially for individuals with diabetes.
However, while there are several commercial table-top NNS available in the market,
little is known about how they affect most diabetes-related parameters of consumers,
as most of the previous studies on NNS have been limited to their pure forms
or NNS-sweetened products. Therefore, we comparatively studied the effects of
some commercially available table-top forms of the different NNS (aspartame, sucralose,
cyclamate, saccharin, and stevia) on diabetes-related parameters in normal
rats. These findings in normal rats suggested that some commercially available NNSs
like stevia-based NNS may be suitable for glycemic control and body weight management,
while cyclamate- and aspartame-based NNS may increase body weight and
risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, these finding in normal rats is subject to
additional corroborative clinical studies.
