(P18-39-26) Effect of Non-sugar Sweetener Consumption on Sweetness Perception in Mid- to Older-Aged Adults With Prediabetes

Objectives: Sweet taste perception is associated with carbohydrate and added sugars intake, and reduced sweetness sensitivity may promote preference for sweeter foods, potentially reinforcing unhealthy dietary patterns and contributing to metabolic dysfunction in adults. However, whether chronic exposure to non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) alters human sweetness perception remains unclear. This pilot study examined whether four weeks of daily NSS exposure modified sweetness perception. We hypothesized that exposure to NSS would decrease participants’ sweetness sensitivity, reflected by a higher concentration of sucralose required to reach the sweetness detection threshold.

Methods: In this randomized controlled feeding intervention, weight-stable adults ( >40 years old) with prediabetes consumed a eucaloric diet with 25% of the acceptable daily intake of either a specific NSS (sucralose, acesulfame potassium, saccharin, or aspartame) or a control (dextrose). For this analysis, all NSS groups were combined as they are considered high-intensity sweeteners. Sucralose detection thresholds were assessed before and after the 4-week intervention using a two-alternative forced-choice staircase method (0.1–1000 mM), calculated as the geometric mean of the final four reversals. Group differences in pre- to post-intervention changes were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models with fixed effects for group, time, and their interaction. Due to non-normality of threshold data, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests compared pre-post changes.

Results: Sixteen participants were included (10 NSS; 6 control) in the analysis. Changes in sucralose sweetness detection threshold did not differ significantly between NSS and control groups (Wilcoxon p = 0.328); however, the mean threshold for sweetness detection from pre- to post-intervention increased in the NSS group and decreased in the control group (mean change = 0.00171 mM vs −0.0129 mM, respectively).

Conclusions: Four weeks of NSS exposure did not significantly alter the sweetness detection threshold compared to those in the control group. The directional change in sweetness perception warrants further investigation in larger samples.

Funding Sources: This study was funded in part by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and a fellowship from Virginia Tech.