Studies of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) in diabetes models have been limited to their pure forms or NNS-sweetened products. Hence, we conducted a comparative study on the effects of commercial table-top NNS on diabetes-related parameters in non-diabetic rats. Normal animals were fed for 5 weeks with aqueous solutions of aspartame-, sucralose-, stevia-, sodium cyclamate- and saccharin-based commercial NNS at concentrations equivalent to the sweetness of 10% sucrose solution and thereafter food intake, blood glucose, lipid profile, and biochemical parameters were measured. Aspartame adversely affected blood cholesterols, while cyclamate increased food intake and weight gain. Stevia reduced weight gain and exhibited insulinotropic effects. These data in normal rats hypothetically suggest that stevia-based NNS may help in glycemic control and body weight management, while cyclamate- and aspartame-based NNS may increase body weight and risk of cardiovascular diseases. Further clinical studies are, however, required to confirm the results of this study. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The use of NNS is becoming more popular, especially for individuals with diabetes. However, while there are several commercial table-top NNS available in the market, little is known about how they affect most diabetes-related parameters of consumers, as most of the previous studies on NNS have been limited to their pure forms or NNS-sweetened products. Therefore, we comparatively studied the effects of some commercially available table-top forms of the different NNS (aspartame, sucralose, cyclamate, saccharin, and stevia) on diabetes-related parameters in normal rats. These findings in normal rats suggested that some commercially available NNSs like stevia-based NNS may be suitable for glycemic control and body weight management, while cyclamate- and aspartame-based NNS may increase body weight and risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, these finding in normal rats is subject to additional corroborative clinical studies.
Keywords: blood glucose; commercially available; diabetes; lipid profile; non-nutritive sweeteners; rats; weight gain.
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