Sweetness Perception is not Involved in the Regulation of Blood Glucose after Oral Application of Sucrose and Glucose Solutions in Healthy Male Subjects

Scope: This study investigates the effect of the sweetness of a sucrose versus an isocaloric glucose solution in dietary concentrations on blood glucose regulation by adjusting the sweetness level using the sweet taste inhibitor lactisole. Methods and Results: A total of 27 healthy males participated in this randomized, crossover study with four treatments: 10% glucose, 10% sucrose, 10% sucrose + 60 ppm lactisole, and 10% glucose + 60 ppm lactisole. Plasma glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide 1, and glucagon levels are measured at baseline and 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after beverage consumption. Test subjects rated the sucrose solution to be sweeter than the isocaloric glucose solution, whereas no difference in sweetness is reported after addition of lactisole to the sucrose solution. Administration of the less sweet glucose solution versus sucrose led to higher blood glucose levels after 30 min, as reflected by a lower ΔAUC for sucrose (1072 ± 136) than for glucose (1567 ± 231). Application of lactisole leads to no differences in glucose, insulin, or glucagon responses induced by sucrose or glucose. Conclusion: The results indicate that the structure of the carbohydrate has a stronger impact on the regulation of blood glucose levels than the perceived sweetness.