Intense Sweeteners, Food Intake, and the Weight of a Body of Evidence

A.G. Renwick

ABSTRACT

A review of published data shows that although intense sweeteners have been shown to increase hunger ratings in some studies in humans, this has not been a consistent and reproducible observation. Any slight effect on perceived hunger has not been translated into an increase in food ingestion or effects on blood concentrations of insulin or glucose. Studies on the covert substitution of caloric sweeteners by intense sweeteners have shown either a decrease or no change in body weight. The published database does not support the concept that the consumption of intense sweeteners results in a paradoxical increase in calorie intake and body weight.

Physiology & Behavior 1994, Vol. 55. 139-143