Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Aug 18;11(8):e0161264.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161264. eCollection 2016.

Effects of the Non-Nutritive Sweeteners on Glucose Metabolism and Appetite Regulating Hormones: Systematic Review of Observational Prospective Studies and Clinical Trials

Alonso Romo-Romo  1 , Carlos A Aguilar-Salinas  1 , Griselda X Brito-Córdova  1 , Rita A Gómez Díaz  2 , David Vilchis Valentín  1 , Paloma Almeda-Valdes  1
Affiliations

Effects of the Non-Nutritive Sweeteners on Glucose Metabolism and Appetite Regulating Hormones: Systematic Review of Observational Prospective Studies and Clinical Trials

Alonso Romo-Romo et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: The effects of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) on glucose metabolism and appetite regulating hormones are not clear. There is an ongoing debate concerning NNS use and deleterious changes in metabolism.

Objectives: The aim of this review is to analyze the scientific available evidence regarding the effects of NNS on glucose metabolism and appetite regulating hormones.

Data sources and study eligibility criteria: We identified human observational studies evaluating the relation between NNS consumption and obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, in addition to clinical trials evaluating the effects of NNS in glucose metabolism and appetite regulating hormones.

Results: Fourteen observational studies evaluating the association between NNS consumption and the development of metabolic diseases and twenty-eight clinical trials studying the effects of NNS on metabolism were included. Finally, two meta-analyses evaluating the association between the consumption of NNS-containing beverages and the development of type 2 diabetes were identified.

Conclusions: Some observational studies suggest an association between NNS consumption and development of metabolic diseases; however, adiposity is a confounder frequently found in observational studies. The effects of the NNS on glucose metabolism are not clear. The results of the identified clinical trials are contradictory and are not comparable because of the major existing differences between them. Studies evaluating specific NNS, with an adequate sample size, including a homogeneous study group, identifying significant comorbidities, with an appropriate control group, with an appropriate exposure time, and considering adjustment for confounder variables such as adiposity are needed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Flow diagram of the systematic search.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Barquera S, Hernandez-Barrera L, Tolentino ML, Espinosa J, Ng SW, Rivera JA, et al. Energy intake from beverages is increasing among Mexican adolescents and adults. The Journal of nutrition. 2008;138(12):2454–61. 10.3945/jn.108.092163 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Shankar P, Ahuja S, Sriram K. Non-nutritive sweeteners: review and update. Nutrition. 2013;29(11–12):1293–9. 10.1016/j.nut.2013.03.024 . - DOI - PubMed
    1. Food U.S. and Drug Administration. Additional Information about High-Intensity Sweeteners Permitted for use in Food in the United States 2015 [updated 05/25/2015; cited 2016 02/01/2016]. Available: http://www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/foodadditivesingred....
    1. European Food Safety Authority [Internet]. Sweetners [cited 2016 Feb 01]. Available: http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/sweeteners.
    1. Pepino MY. Metabolic effects of non-nutritive sweeteners. Physiology & behavior. 2015;152(Pt B):450–5. 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.06.024 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms