Impact of non-sugar sweeteners on metabolism beyond sweet taste perception

Herbert Herzog; Lei Zhang; Luigi Fontana; G Gregory Neely

doi:10.1016/j.tem.2024.10.008

Impact of non-sugar sweeteners on metabolism beyond sweet taste perception

Trends Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Nov 16:S1043-2760(24)00276-5. doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2024.10.008. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Herbert Herzog¹, Lei Zhang², Luigi Fontana³, G Gregory Neely⁴

Affiliations

¹ St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address: H.Herzog@unsw.edu.au.
² St Vincent's Centre for Applied Medical Research, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
³ Charles Perkins Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia; Department of Endocrinology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
⁴ Dr John and Anne Chong Lab for Functional Genomics, Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia.

PMID: 39551640
DOI: 10.1016/j.tem.2024.10.008

Abstract

Non-sugar sweeteners (NSS), low- or no-calorie alternatives to sugar, are marketed for weight loss and improved blood glucose control in people with diabetes. However, their health effects remain controversial. This review provides a brief overview of sweet taste perception and summarizes experimental findings of the impact of NSS on cardiometabolic health in animal models and humans. We also review evidence suggesting that many NSS are not metabolically inert, highlighting the challenges in related human studies. Given the conflicting and unclear data on health outcomes, additional mechanistic studies, particularly in animal models, are necessary to clarify how NSS influence feeding behaviors and energy homoeostasis.

Keywords: diabetes; energy homeostasis; food intake; metabolism; non-sugar sweeteners; obesity; sweet taste.

Publication types

Review