Effects of Sweetness on Neurocognitive Responses, Glycemia and Food Intake
Condition: Obesity
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study aims to examine potential differences in neurocognitive responses to food-related
      cues, physiological and appetite responses as well as subsequent energy intake following the
      consumption of preloads differing in sweetness and/ or postprandial metabolic effects in
      healthy normal weight subjects.
    

Detailed description: 
      Excess consumption of caloric sweeteners, together with the high availability of palatable
      food cues are some of the factors for the alarming high rates of overweight and obesity.
      Although non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are used to decrease energy content of foods and
      beverages, there is an on-going debate on the relationship between NNS intake, obesity and
      cardiometabolic risk. Caloric sugars have a differing effect on physiological responses
      compared to NNS. However it is almost wholly unknown how NNS consumption affects eating
      behaviour and cognitive processes.

      This study compares the performance on food related neurocognitive tasks following the
      consumption of the test preloads on 5 visits. In particular, sucrose, glucose, maltodextrin,
      water or a natural high potency sweetener from leaf extract will be ingested as single test
      agents in randomized order. Water will be used as a control for gastric distension and
      non-sweet, whereas maltodextrin will be used as a non-sweet control for carbohydrate content.

      Participants will be asked to attend a screening visit at the Neuroscience and Psychiatry
      Unit of the University of Manchester on a morning after overnight fast. Participants' weight
      and height, fasting blood glucose and blood pressure will be measured. This will be followed
      by some questionnaires regarding general health status, weight and dieting history and eating
      behaviour.

      Participants who satisfy the inclusion criteria, will be then invited to take part in the
      full study. This will require 5 separate visits at the University of Manchester, which will
      be scheduled between 11.30 and 13.30. Participants will have to attend these visits after
      having fasted for 3-4 hours and will be asked to have their regular breakfast in the morning
      before the testing session, and then not eat or drink anything else for 3-4 hours until they
      come in the lab for the testing session. Water will be allowed up to 1 hour prior to your
      testing session. Prior to each testing session participants will be asked to have the same
      breakfast, and they will have to provide a picture of the breakfast each time to ensure
      compliance.

      The 5 visits correspond to 5 test beverages, both the participants and the investigators are
      blinded to the study treatments. Blood will be collected at 0 (before the consumption of the
      test beverage), 15, 30 and 60 min after the consumption of the drink. Participants will also
      be asked to rate their feeling of hunger, fullness etc using visual analogue scales (VAS) at
      the same time points 0, 15, 30 and 60 min.

      Fifteen min after the consumption of the drink, participants will complete a set of
      computer-based tasks. They are designed to capture behaviour in response to food cue
      presentation. This will last approximately 15 min.

      Thirty min after the consumption of the drink, a lunch buffet will be served and participants
      will be free to eat as much or as little as they like until feeling comfortably full. Each
      session is anticipated to last for approximately 1 hour.
    

Intervention name(s): Natural high potency sweetener from leaf extract; Glucose; Sucrose; Maltodextrin; Water
Intervention type(s): Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement; Dietary Supplement
Intervention description(s): Upon arrival, participant's blood will be collected at 0 (before the consumption of the test beverage), 15, 30 and 60 min after the consumption of the drink. Participants will rate their feelings of hunger, fullness etc using VAS at 0, 15, 30 and 60 min.
Fifteen min after the consumption of the drink, participants will complete a set of computer-based tasks designed to capture behaviour in response to food cue presentation. Thirty min after the consumption of the drink, a lunch buffet will be served and participants will be free to eat as much or as little as they like until feeling comfortably full.; Upon arrival, participant's blood will be collected at 0 (before the consumption of the test beverage), 15, 30 and 60 min after the consumption of the drink. Participants will rate their feelings of hunger, fullness etc using VAS at 0, 15, 30 and 60 min.
Fifteen min after the consumption of the drink, participants will complete a set of computer-based tasks designed to capture behaviour in response to food cue presentation. Thirty min after the consumption of the drink, a lunch buffet will be served and participants will be free to eat as much or as little as they like until feeling comfortably full.; Upon arrival, participant's blood will be collected at 0 (before the consumption of the test beverage), 15, 30 and 60 min after the consumption of the drink. Participants will rate their feelings of hunger, fullness etc using VAS at 0, 15, 30 and 60 min.
Fifteen min after the consumption of the drink, participants will complete a set of computer-based tasks designed to capture behaviour in response to food cue presentation. Thirty min after the consumption of the drink, a lunch buffet will be served and participants will be free to eat as much or as little as they like until feeling comfortably full.; Upon arrival, participant's blood will be collected at 0 (before the consumption of the test beverage), 15, 30 and 60 min after the consumption of the drink. Participants will rate their feelings of hunger, fullness etc using VAS at 0, 15, 30 and 60 min.
Fifteen min after the consumption of the drink, participants will complete a set of computer-based tasks designed to capture behaviour in response to food cue presentation. Thirty min after the consumption of the drink, a lunch buffet will be served and participants will be free to eat as much or as little as they like until feeling comfortably full.; Upon arrival, participant's blood will be collected at 0 (before the consumption of the test beverage), 15, 30 and 60 min after the consumption of the drink. Participants will rate their feelings of hunger, fullness etc using VAS at 0, 15, 30 and 60 min.
Fifteen min after the consumption of the drink, participants will complete a set of computer-based tasks designed to capture behaviour in response to food cue presentation. Thirty min after the consumption of the drink, a lunch buffet will be served and participants will be free to eat as much or as little as they like until feeling comfortably full.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Triple (Participant, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: non-nutritive sweeteners; sucrose; food-cue responses; appetite; blood glucose; energy intake