Clinical trial NCT04904133: Effects of Low/No Calorie Sweeteners on Glucose Tolerance
Official title: The Effect of Regular Consumption of Low/No Calorie Sweeteners on Glycemic Response and Glucagon Like Peptide-1 Secretion in Healthy Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Healthy Population
Glucose Tolerance
Keywords: artificial sweeteners
non-nutritive sweeteners
oral glucose tolerance
glucagon-like peptide-1
insulin secretion
satiety peptides
Lead sponsor: Acibadem University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2021-05-27
Enrollment: 42
Sex: FEMALE
Minimum age (years): 19
Maximum age (years): 45
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Intervention model description: Volunteers were randomly divided into 4 groups (saccharin, sucralose, aspartame+acesulfame-K \[Asp+Ace-K\], control) and asked to drink the LNCS sweetened water once a day for 4-wks. All study groups and concentration of LNCS they consumed written as follows; Saccharin group: 330 mL water + 140 mg saccharine Sucralose group: 330 mL water + 66 mg sucralose Asp+Ace-K group: 330 mL water + 88 mg aspartame and 88 mg acesulfame-K Control group IV: 330 mL water only
Primary purpose: SCREENING

Brief summary: This study aims to determine the effects of chronic exposure to some low/no calorie sweeteners (LNCS) on glucose tolerance and glucagon like peptide 1 (GLP-1) release in healthy individuals. LNCS examined in this study are saccharin, sucralose and aspartame+acesulfame-K. The amounts of LNCS given to the participants are kept similar to daily life exposure; far less than the Acceptable Daily Intakes (ADIs) levels proposed by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Detailed description: Excessive sugar consumption has been related to chronic metabolic problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, neuroinflammatory diseases, etc. Therefore, it is recommended to decrease added sugar intake below 10% of total energy intake. Low/no calorie sweeteners (LNCS) may seem as a good alternative to added sugars because they provide sweetness without adding calories to the diet. Although they may reduce energy intake and prevent weight gain, studies investigating the short and long term effects of these sweeteners on metabolic profile are controversial. Therefore, there is a need for future studies to shed light on metabolic effects of these compounds in humans.

Some observational and clinical studies show that they may cause insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. There are possible mechanisms that may explain this relationship. One of these possible mechanisms is interaction with sweet taste receptors (STRs). It has been shown that STRs not only found in oral cavity but also in extra-oral tissues, such as gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, brain, etc. In vitro studies with sucralose, it has been shown that it may activate STRs in L-cells and stimulate GLP-1 release in a similar manner with glucose. However, these results were not confirmed in vivo.

There are at least six different LNCS approved for human use worldwide. However, each of them have different biological fate in terms of absorption, metabolism and excretion characteristics in the body. Therefore, result of a study with one of LNCS cannot be extrapolated for all LNCS; each of them should be studied in well-designed studies.

In this study it is hypothesized that LNCS may activate STRs in intestinal L-cells and alter release of GLP-1; as a result impair glucose tolerance. In acute human studies, these effects are tested and there are controversial results in regard to glucose tolerance or incretin release. However, individuals who want to consume fewer calories or to better control their blood glucose use LNCS in place of sugar for longer period of time. For this reason, we wanted to test the effects of regular use of LNCS on glucose tolerance and incretin release.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Healthy,
* Normoglycemic,
* Female,
* 19-45 years old,
* Weight-stable past 3 months

Exclusion Criteria:

* Insulin resistance,
* Type 2 diabetes mellitus,
* Presence of acute/chronic infection,
* Use of medication that may affect glucose metabolism (thiazide diuretics, glucocorticoids, estrogen or beta blockers)
* Chronic alcohol intake,
* Regular consumption of diet soda (more than one can of soda per week)

Primary outcomes:
measure: 3 Hours Plasma Glucose
timeFrame: 3 hours
measure: 3 Hours Plasma Insulin
timeFrame: 3 hours
measure: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) release
timeFrame: Week 4
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Body Weight
timeFrame: Week 4
measure: Fat Mass
timeFrame: Week 4
measure: Fat-Free Mass
timeFrame: Week 4
measure: Total Body Water
timeFrame: Week 4
measure: Body Mass Index (BMI)
timeFrame: Week 4
measure: Waist Circumference
timeFrame: Week 4
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Istanbul
country: Turkey
facility: Acıbadem Dr. Şinasi Can (Kadıköy) Hospital
state: Anadolu
Study officials:
affiliation: Acibadem University
name: Saziye E Orku, Dr.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Suez J, Korem T, Zeevi D, Zilberman-Schapira G, Thaiss CA, Maza O, Israeli D, Zmora N, Gilad S, Weinberger A, Kuperman Y, Harmelin A, Kolodkin-Gal I, Shapiro H, Halpern Z, Segal E, Elinav E. Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota. Nature. 2014 Oct 9;514(7521):181-6. doi: 10.1038/nature13793. Epub 2014 Sep 17.
citation: Rogers PJ, Hogenkamp PS, de Graaf C, Higgs S, Lluch A, Ness AR, Penfold C, Perry R, Putz P, Yeomans MR, Mela DJ. Does low-energy sweetener consumption affect energy intake and body weight? A systematic review, including meta-analyses, of the evidence from human and animal studies. Int J Obes (Lond). 2016 Mar;40(3):381-94. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2015.177. Epub 2015 Sep 14.
citation: Miller PE, Perez V. Low-calorie sweeteners and body weight and composition: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Sep;100(3):765-77. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.113.082826. Epub 2014 Jun 18.
citation: Toews I, Lohner S, Kullenberg de Gaudry D, Sommer H, Meerpohl JJ. Association between intake of non-sugar sweeteners and health outcomes: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials and observational studies. BMJ. 2019 Jan 2;364:k4718. doi: 10.1136/bmj.k4718.
citation: Romo-Romo A, Aguilar-Salinas CA, Brito-Cordova GX, Gomez Diaz RA, Vilchis Valentin D, Almeda-Valdes P. Effects of the Non-Nutritive Sweeteners on Glucose Metabolism and Appetite Regulating Hormones: Systematic Review of Observational Prospective Studies and Clinical Trials. PLoS One. 2016 Aug 18;11(8):e0161264. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161264. eCollection 2016.
citation: Jang HJ, Kokrashvili Z, Theodorakis MJ, Carlson OD, Kim BJ, Zhou J, Kim HH, Xu X, Chan SL, Juhaszova M, Bernier M, Mosinger B, Margolskee RF, Egan JM. Gut-expressed gustducin and taste receptors regulate secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Sep 18;104(38):15069-74. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0706890104. Epub 2007 Aug 27.
citation: Brown RJ, Rother KI. Non-nutritive sweeteners and their role in the gastrointestinal tract. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012 Aug;97(8):2597-605. doi: 10.1210/jc.2012-1475. Epub 2012 Jun 7.
citation: Nakagawa Y, Nagasawa M, Yamada S, Hara A, Mogami H, Nikolaev VO, Lohse MJ, Shigemura N, Ninomiya Y, Kojima I. Sweet taste receptor expressed in pancreatic beta-cells activates the calcium and cyclic AMP signaling systems and stimulates insulin secretion. PLoS One. 2009;4(4):e5106. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005106. Epub 2009 Apr 8.
citation: Fujita Y, Wideman RD, Speck M, Asadi A, King DS, Webber TD, Haneda M, Kieffer TJ. Incretin release from gut is acutely enhanced by sugar but not by sweeteners in vivo. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Mar;296(3):E473-9. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.90636.2008. Epub 2008 Dec 23.
citation: Sylvetsky AC, Brown RJ, Blau JE, Walter M, Rother KI. Hormonal responses to non-nutritive sweeteners in water and diet soda. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2016 Oct 21;13:71. doi: 10.1186/s12986-016-0129-3. eCollection 2016.
citation: Ma J, Bellon M, Wishart JM, Young R, Blackshaw LA, Jones KL, Horowitz M, Rayner CK. Effect of the artificial sweetener, sucralose, on gastric emptying and incretin hormone release in healthy subjects. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2009 Apr;296(4):G735-9. doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.90708.2008. Epub 2009 Feb 12.
citation: Temizkan S, Deyneli O, Yasar M, Arpa M, Gunes M, Yazici D, Sirikci O, Haklar G, Imeryuz N, Yavuz DG. Sucralose enhances GLP-1 release and lowers blood glucose in the presence of carbohydrate in healthy subjects but not in patients with type 2 diabetes. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2015 Feb;69(2):162-6. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2014.208. Epub 2014 Oct 1.