With society becoming very health conscious as well as more technological and scientifically advanced, it is encouraged now more than ever to be fully aware of what is being put in our bodies. One highly discussed and studied example of this is artificial sweeteners that is used daily, especially for avid coffee drinkers like myself.

One study tested subjects after an intragastric infusion of either sucrose dissolved in water, sucralose in saline (two separate solutions of different amounts of sucralose), or simply normal saline. The study went on to analyze blood glucose, plasma levels of insulin, gastric emptying, plasma levels of glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide, and plasma levels of glucagon-like peptide 1.

If you are anything like me, that’s probably a lot of crazy words with no meaning to you. Let me try to clarify, with credits to much smarter people. Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP for short) and glucagon-like peptide 1 (often referred to as GLP-1) are both incretin hormones that are significant in the process of glucose homeostasis. Previous studies have shown that sucralose will stimulate a release in GLP-1 on certain cells in mice. GIP is released from the small intestine and enhances release of insulin after the intake of food. The hormone is also responsible for stimulating the release of insulin from cells in the pancreas to sustain low blood sugar levels after consumption. An increased level of GIP has been linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes, but it is unclear as to whether a higher level is a cause or consequence.

GLP-1 is actually the product of a molecule called pre-proglucagon that splits into hormones. This hormone is also found in cells in the small intestine and encourages the pancreas to release insulin. It is responsible for increasing the “feeling of fullness during and between meals by acting on appetite centres in the brain and by slowing the emptying of the stomach.” It is also thought that not enough of this hormone may increase the likelihood if not worsen obesity.

With all of that wonderful information in mind, back to the study!

The results can be seen in the chart above. While a more detailed analysis can be found in the article, the main point is, for the most part, sucralose and saline did not differ with the exception of plasma GLP-1. Sucrose, or table sugar, seemed to peak very early and very high before returning to approximately normal levels. While it was almost expected for the molecules sucrose, sucralose and saccharin to set off a response in receptors of sweetness, the study has no sturdy result that can support that sucralose would stimulate GIP or GLP-1 release. The study then claims that with this information, it may be possible that artificial sweeteners only benefit in that they are a carbohydrate substitute and do not help with diet.

In my opinion, this study is interesting but definitely has areas to be improved upon. For example, the study tested only 7 humans. This is a significantly low sample size and makes it impossible to assume it is a randomized trial. The study was also over a very brief period of time. It may be interesting and possibly beneficial to continue the study in a long term format and analyze how repeated exposure to sucralose at different levels would affect the hormones and their stimulation. While I don’t quite believe third variables can be ruled out, the study has definitely ruled out reverse causation, since the idea of hormones affecting the sucralose or sucrose infused in the body is illogical.

So what does this all mean to you? Well, this study shows that sweeteners are no more harmful than they are helpful to your pancreatic hormones. In another post to come, however, a study will challenge sweeteners and their affect on caloric intake.