Abstract
Nonnutritive sweetener use is a common practice worldwide. Although considered safe for human consumption, accumulating evidence suggests these compounds may affect metabolic homeostasis; however, there is no consensus on the role of frequent sweetener intake in appetite and weight loss. We sought to determine whether frequent intake of commercial sweeteners induces changes in the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in the brain of mice, as it is involved in the regulation of appetite and body composition. We supplemented adult BALB/c mice with sucrose, steviol glycosides (SG), or sucralose, daily, for 6 weeks. After supplementation, we evaluated body composition and expression of total and phosphorylated JAK2, STAT3, and Akt, as well as SOCS3 and ObRb, in brain tissue. Our results show that frequent intake of commercial SG decreases energy intake, adiposity, and weight gain in male animals, while increasing the expression of pJAK2 and pSTAT3 in the brain, whereas sucralose increases weight gain and pJAK2 expression in females. Our results suggest that chronic intake of commercial sweeteners elicits changes in signaling pathways that have been related to the control of appetite and energy balance in vivo, which may have relevant consequences for the nutritional state and long term health of the organism.
Highlights
Nonnutritive sweeteners are food additives that provide sweet taste without the energy content of sucrose
Other studies have reported that supplementation with saccharin does not induce weight gain when compared to glucose [6], and it has been reported that supplementation with a mixture of artificial sweeteners containing aspartame, cyclamate, acesulfame K, and saccharin, for 10 weeks in humans caused an average of 1.2 kg of weight loss, whereas those supplemented with 2 g/Kg/day of BioMed Research International sucrose gained an average of 1.4 kg [7]
Sweetener consumption is a common practice in the general population as a means to decrease calorie intake from diet; accumulating evidence has challenged the assumption that nonnutritive sweeteners favor weight loss and aid in the control of appetite in people needing to reduce sugar intake [5, 25,26,27,28]
Summary
Nonnutritive sweeteners are food additives that provide sweet taste without the energy content of sucrose. Use of these substances by the general population has increased greatly, as they are available in a variety of commercial products. The effect of sweeteners on appetite and energy balance in living organisms has been tested in both human and animal models; so far, there is no clear consensus on whether chronic intake of these additives has a beneficial or detrimental effect on these variables [1]. Evidence from animal models shows that supplementation with saccharin or aspartame, nonnutritive sweeteners that used to be common choices as food additives, increases appetite and adiposity compared to groups supplemented with glucose or sodium chloride, without altering food intake [2,3,4]. There is no clear consensus on the effects of nonnutritive sweeteners on appetite and weight gain
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