Acute Impact of Non-Sugar Sweeteners (Sucralose and Aspartame)

March 26, 2026 updated by: Valisa Hedrick, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Acute Impact of Artificial Sweeteners on Glycemic Markers

The major purpose of this research project is to learn if consuming artificial sweeteners have any impact on glucose levels in adults at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. People may be at risk for diabetes if you are a middle-aged or older adult. Briefly, the full study is 3 weeks long with 3 controlled feeding visits. Which means participants will eat all of the food and drinks that we provide to them for breakfast. Participants will come to the lab in the morning to eat breakfast, and we will monitor changes in blood glucose over a 2 hour period. Participants will be randomized into 1 of 3 groups: 1 group will receive aspartame (Equal), 1 group will receive sucralose (Splenda), and 1 group will receive no artificial sweeteners. Participants will experience a different group each visit, with about 7 days between each visit. We will be examining if consuming artificial sweeteners has any impact on glucose levels.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The study will utilize a randomized 3 period crossover design, with 3 instances of controlled feeding. The overall objective of this study is to establish proof-of-concept for impaired glycemic control and insulin sensitivity, but no alterations following aspartame intake, in middle-aged/older adults with prediabetes. We aim to enroll 14 middle-aged/older adults (40+ years) with prediabetes. Participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 3 controlled feeding conditions for 3 separate visits: sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal), or control, each separated by a week. All participants will have been assigned to each artificial sweetener once by the end of the study. All test conditions will receive an identical breakfast, with the exception of the sweetener type. Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity will be measured directly after each controlled feeding.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
14

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Virginia
      • Blacksburg, Virginia, United States, 24061
        • Virginia Tech

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 40+ years
  • Prediabetic
  • Weight stable for previous 6 months
  • BMI <40 kg/m2
  • Sedentary to recreationally active
  • No plans to gain/lose weight or change physical activity level
  • Consume less than one serving of non-sugar sweeteners per week

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Diabetes or any diabetes medications
  • Antibiotic, prebiotic or prebiotic use in prior 3 months
  • Blood pressure (BP) > 159/99 mmHg
  • Change in type or dose of these prescription medications over the past 6 months: antihypertensive medications, Statins, hormone replacement therapy (estrogen or testosterone) or oral contraceptives, thyroid medications
  • Diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease
  • Past or current heart diseases, stroke, respiratory disease, endocrine or metabolic disease, or hematological-oncological disease
  • Vegetarian or vegan
  • Pregnant or plans to become pregnant
  • Breastfeeding
  • Food allergies or aversions, Phenylketonuria (PKU)

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Sucralose Arm
Controlled feeding: Participants will be provided a standardized breakfast, a beverage containing their respective sweetener, and capsules containing the same sweetener. For the sucralose arm, participants receive 50% of the ADI (2.5 mg/kg). Blood glucose and insulin will be measured at 0 minutes and every 30 minutes for 120 minutes post breakfast.
Other: non-sugar sweeteners - Sucralose
Participants will be given 2.5 mg/kg of body weight of sucralose
Other Names:
  • Sucralose
Active Comparator: Aspartame Arm
Controlled feeding: Participants will be provided a standardized breakfast, a beverage containing their respective sweetener, and capsules containing the same sweetener. For the aspartame arm, participants receive 50% of the ADI (25 mg/kg). Blood glucose and insulin will be measured at 0 minutes and every 30 minutes for 120 minutes post breakfast.
Other: non-sugar sweetener - aspartame
Participants will receive 25 mg/kg body weight of aspartame
Placebo Comparator: Control Arm
Controlled feeding: Participants will be provided a standardized breakfast, a beverage containing no non-sugar sweetener, and capsules containing dextrose. Blood glucose and insulin will be measured at 0 minutes and every 30 minutes for 120 minutes post breakfast.
Other: Non-sugar sweetener - control
Participants will receive 340 mg of dextrose

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
glucose tolerance
Time Frame: 120 minutes
changes in glucose concentrations
120 minutes

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
insulin
Time Frame: 120 minutes
changes in insulin sensitivity
120 minutes

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 5, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
March 26, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 1, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 26, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 22-507

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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