The effect of nonnutritives weeteners on certain metabolic parameters

Abstract

Nonnutritive sweeteners can be found in many other foods apart from soft drinks. Producers of foodstuffs often use a combination of several sweeteners or sweetener and sugar mixes in a single product mainly to achieve a sweeter taste with a lower calorie count. According to the 2012 Scientific Statement of the American Heart and Diabetes Association, reduction of sugar intake plays an important role in establishing an optimal diet and the maintenance of an appropriate body weight. Controlled intervention studies show that during use of calorie-free sweeteners body weight did not change, moreover, in some cases weight even fell. This was also demonstrated in a recently published summary study of randomized controlled studies, according to which calorie-free sweeteners contributed to both loss and maintenance of body weight. According to the summary of the American Dietetic Association, the use of calorie-free sweeteners does not influence the glycemic response and does not increase postprandial blood glucose levels in diabetics. The results thus far, then, show that the use of nonnutritive sweeteners can reduce the consumption of carbohydrates, by which total calorie intake can also be lowered. Their use can promote weight loss and maintenance as well as can help to improve the values of other metabolic parameters (eg. blood sugar, triglycerides). In addition to this, it is important to note that these benefits will not fully materialize if consumption of nonnutritive sweeteners is accompanied by an increase in compensatory caloric intake. Orv. Hetil., 2016, 157(Suppl. 1), 8-13.