Hunger and satiety profiles and energy intakes following the ingestion of soft drinks sweetened with sucrose or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)

Abstract

Reports that liquid sugar energy is not detected by the body have suggested a physiological link between soft drink consumption and excess weight gain. One question is whether HFCS-sweetened beverages have a different satiety profile from sucrose-sweetened ones. This study examined the relative impact of 16 oz. beverage preloads on motivational ratings and energy intakes at a test meal, using a withinsubject design. Participants were 19 men and 18 women, aged 20–30 y. The iso-energetic (214 kcal) beverages were cola sweetened with either sucrose, HFCS 55 (55% fructose, 45% glucose); HFCS 42 (42% fructose; 58% glucose), or aspartame, and 1% milk. A no beverage control was also employed. Breakfast was consumed at 8:00 am and the beverages were consumed at 10:10 am. Subjective ratings of hunger, fullness, desire to eat, thirst, and nausea were collected at 20 min intervals until lunch was served 140 min later. Caloric beverages suppressed hunger ratings and increased satiety ratings relative to the no beverage control. However, there were no significant differences in satiety profiles among the sucrose- and HFCS-sweetened beverages, diet cola, and 1% milk. Energy intakes at lunch were lower for all 4 caloric beverages (mean 955 kcal) as compared to the aspartame and the no beverage conditions (mean 1009 kcal), suggesting that a degree of energy compensation did occur following the ingestion of liquid energy. No differences in hunger, fullness, thirst, or desire to eat were detected between sugar-sweetened soft drinks, milk, or aspartame-sweetened soft drinks, all of which were significantly different than the no-beverage control. Research support provided by the American Beverage Institute and the Corn Refiners Association.