BSDA - British Soft Drinks Assocation Ltd.

09/28/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/28/2021 09:20

New sucralose study limited, author concedes

A new study published in JAMA Network Open exmained the effects of sucralose on brain activity and appetite responses in different segments of the population.

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine studied 74 participants who, during the course of three different visits, consumed 300ml of a drink sweetened with sucrose (table sugar), a drink sweetened with sucralose or water as a control. In the two hours that followed, the researchers measured three things: activation of regions of the brain responsible for appetite and food cravings in response to pictures of high calorie foods like a burger and donut using an imaging technique called functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); levels of glucose (blood sugar), insulin, and other metabolic hormones in the blood; and the amount of food consumed at a snack buffet provided at the end of each session.

The lead study author recommended interpreting these findings with caution, since all participants fasted overnight before the study and were likely more hungry than usual.

In response, BSDA Director General, Gavin Partington, said:

"This study does not provide evidence of cause and also contains a number of limitations, with one of the authors even suggesting that the findings - based on a tiny number of participants - should be treated with caution. Additionally, the study participants fasted the night before the intervention, which may a confounding factor in their perception of hunger.

"Non-sugar sweeteners are safe, according to all leading health authorities in the world, and that's why they have been used in a vast array of food, medicine, dental and drinks products for several decades. In the case of the latter, their use enabled soft drinks manufacturers to reduce take-home sugar from soft drinks by 43.5% between March 2014 and March 2020."

Registered dietitian Helen Bond, added: "A new systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised control trials found that when low- and no-calorie sweeteners replace sugar in an overweight/obese population following an unrestricted diet, there are reductions in both BMI and in body weight.*"

*Laviada-Molina, H, Molina-Segui, F, Pérez-Gaxiola, G, et al. Effects of non-nutritive sweeteners on body weight and BMI in diverse clinical contexts: Systematic review and met-analysis. Obesity Reviews. 2020; 21:e13020. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.13020.