Sucralose, a widely used non-caloric sweetener, provides sweet taste without calories. Some studies suggest that non-caloric sweeteners stimulate appetite, possibly owing to the delivery of a sweet taste without the post-ingestive metabolic signals that normally communicate with the hypothalamus to suppress hunger. In a randomized crossover trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02945475 ), 75 young adults (healthy weight, overweight or with obesity) consumed a drink containing sucralose, sweetness-matched sucrose or water. We show that acute consumption of sucralose versus sucrose stimulates hypothalamic blood flow (P < 0.018) and greater hunger responses (P < 0.001). Sucralose versus water also increases hypothalamic blood flow (P < 0.019) but produces no difference in hunger ratings. Sucrose, but not sucralose, increases peripheral glucose levels, which are associated with reductions in medial hypothalamic blood flow (P < 0.007). Sucralose, compared to sucrose and water, results in increased functional connections between the hypothalamus and brain regions involved in motivation and somatosensory processing. These findings suggest that non-caloric sweeteners could affect key mechanisms in the hypothalamus responsible for appetite regulation.
FörderungenDiabetes and Obesity Research Institute of the University of Southern California Southern California Clinical and Translational Science Institute through NIH National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases)