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
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2021 Nov 5;13(11):3950.
doi: 10.3390/nu13113950.

Effect of a Chronic Intake of the Natural Sweeteners Xylitol and Erythritol on Glucose Absorption in Humans with Obesity

Valentine Bordier  1   2 , Fabienne Teysseire  1   2 , Götz Schlotterbeck  3 , Frank Senner  3 , Christoph Beglinger  1   2 , Anne Christin Meyer-Gerspach  1   2 , Bettina K Wölnerhanssen  1   2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effect of a Chronic Intake of the Natural Sweeteners Xylitol and Erythritol on Glucose Absorption in Humans with Obesity

Valentine Bordier et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

In patients with obesity, accelerated nutrients absorption is observed. Xylitol and erythritol are of interest as alternative sweeteners, and it has been shown in rodent models that their acute ingestion reduces intestinal glucose absorption. This study aims to investigate whether a chronic intake of xylitol and erythritol impacts glucose absorption in humans with obesity. Forty-six participants were randomized to take either 8 g of xylitol or 12 g of erythritol three times a day for five to seven weeks, or to be part of the control group (no substance). Before and after the intervention, intestinal glucose absorption was assessed during an oral glucose tolerance test with 3-Ortho-methyl-glucose (3-OMG). The effect of xylitol or erythritol intake on the area under the curve for 3-OMG concentration was not significant. Neither the time (pre or post intervention), nor the group (control, xylitol, or erythritol), nor the time-by-group interaction effects were significant (p = 0.829, p = 0.821, and p = 0.572, respectively). Therefore, our results show that a chronic intake of the natural sweeteners xylitol and erythritol does not affect intestinal glucose absorption in humans with obesity.

Keywords: 3-OMG; erythritol; glucose absorption; natural sweeteners; obesity; xylitol.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study, in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data, in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
3-OMG concentrations before and after the intervention period in (A) the control group, (B) the erythritol group, and (C) the xylitol group. Data are displayed as mean ± SEM; OGTT: oral glucose tolerance test.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Boxplots of 3-OMG iAUC120 for each group before and after intervention. Data are displayed as median and inter-quartile range.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. James P.T., Rigby N., Leach R. International Obesity Task Force The obesity epidemic, metabolic syndrome and future prevention strategies. Eur. J. Cardiovasc. Prev. Rehabil. 2004;11:3–8. doi: 10.1097/01.hjr.0000114707.27531.48. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Meyer-Gerspach A.C., Wölnerhanssen B., Beglinger B., Nessenius F., Napitupulu M., Schulte F.H., Steinert R.E., Beglinger C. Gastric and intestinal satiation in obese and normal weight healthy people. Physiol. Behav. 2014;129:265–271. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.02.043. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Wölnerhanssen B., Moran A.W., Burdyga G., Meyer-Gerspach A.C., Peterli R., Manz M., Thumshirn M., Daly K., Beglinger C., Shirazi-Beechey S.P. Deregulation of transcription factors controlling intestinal epithelial cell differentiation; a predisposing factor for reduced enteroendocrine cell number in morbidly obese individuals. Sci. Rep. 2017;7:1–13. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-08487-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Considine R.V., Sinha M.K., Heiman M.L., Kriauciunas A., Stephens T.W., Nyce M.R., Ohannesian J.P., Marco C.C., McKee L.J., Bauer T.L., et al. Serum Immunoreactive-Leptin Concentrations in Normal-Weight and Obese Humans. N. Engl. J. Med. 1996;334:292–295. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199602013340503. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jéquier E. Leptin Signaling, Adiposity, and Energy Balance. Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 2006;967:379–388. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2002.tb04293.x. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types