Source
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA. brownrebecca@mail.nih.gov
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
The goal of this study was to determine the effect of artificial sweeteners on glucose, insulin, and glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 in humans.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS:
For this study, 22 healthy volunteers (mean age 18.5 +/- 4.2 years) underwent two 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests with frequent measurements of glucose, insulin, and GLP-1 for 180 min. Subjects drank 240 ml of diet soda or carbonated water, in randomized order, 10 min prior to the glucose load.
RESULTS:
Glucose excursions were similar after ingestion of carbonated water and diet soda. Serum insulin levels tended to be higher after diet soda, without statistical significance. GLP-1 peak and area under the curve (AUC) were significantly higher with diet soda (AUC 24.0 +/- 15.2 pmol/l per 180 min) versus carbonated water (AUC 16.2 +/- 9.0 pmol/l per 180 min; P = 0.003).
CONCLUSIONS:
Artificial sweeteners synergize with glucose to enhance GLP-1 release in humans. This increase in GLP-1 secretion may be mediated via stimulation of sweet-taste receptors on L-cells by artificial sweetener.