This Trial Aims to Assess the Effects of Three Different Taste-based Dietary Recommendations for Reducing Free Sugar Intakes on Free Sugar Consumption in UK High Free Sugar Consumers

Reducing Free Sugar Intakes - The Role of Sweet Taste III

This randomised controlled trial aims to assess the effects of three different taste-based dietary recommendations for reducing free sugar intakes on free sugar consumption in UK high free sugar consumers.

Study Overview

• Status: Enrolling by invitation
• Conditions: Dietary Behavior; Free Sugar; Sweet Taste
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Dietary advice - Sweet taste; Behavioral: Dietary advice - Taste; Behavioral: Dietary advice - No taste

Detailed Description

This 12-week, 3-arm randomised controlled trial aims to assess the effects of three different taste-based food and beverage substitution instructions for reducing free sugar intakes on free sugar consumption in high free sugar consumers. A total of 180 adult community members residing in Bournemouth and the surrounding areas will be recruited. All participants will be asked to reduce their intakes of free sugar and replace sweet, high-free sugar foods and beverages with either: 1) sweet tasting foods and beverages that have no or low amounts of free sugars; 2) non-sweet tasting foods and beverages that have no or low amounts of free sugars and are high in other tasty flavours; and 3) non-sweet tasting foods and beverages that have no or low amounts of free sugars and are also low in other flavours. The primary outcome of interest is the changes in free sugar intakes from baseline to endpoint. Secondary outcomes include a range of dietary and biopsychosocial outcomes, sweet taste perceptions and sweet food and beverage intakes, as well as compliance with and evaluation of the dietary recommendation received.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 180
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Bournemouth, United Kingdom, BH12 5BB
    • Bournemouth University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age 18 and over
2. Consuming more than 10% total daily energy from free sugars (-3% for testing error)
3. Residing in the South of England, and able to attend Bournemouth University for testing (Talbot Campus, BH12 5BB)
4. Able to provide consent and complete all study-related measures

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Being a smoker or having smoked in the last 3 months
2. Being pregnant or breastfeeding
3. Being underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m²)
4. Dieting or following a specific diet program (e.g., Weight Watchers, Keto diet, or Intermittent Fasting)
5. Following a specific diet or nutritional advice as a result of pre-existing medical condition (e.g., Crohn's disease, diabetes)
6. Having a pre-existing medical condition or taking medication that could affect taste and/or smell abilities (e.g., certain blood pressure and heart medications)
7. Allergies to foods and drinks used in the study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Sweet taste arm; Description: Participants in this arm will be asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to < 5%TEI and replace sweet foods and drinks that are high in free sugars with foods and drinks that are sweet but have no or low amounts of free sugars, e.g., sweet no- or low-free sugar foods, fruit, and no- or low-calorie sweeteners.	Behavioral: Dietary advice - Sweet taste; Asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to < 5%TEI and replace sweet foods and drinks that are high in free sugars with foods and drinks that are sweet but have no or low amounts of free sugars, e.g., sweet no- or low-free sugar foods, fruit, and no- or low-calorie sweeteners.
Active Comparator: Taste arm; Description: Participants in this arm will be asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to < 5%TEI and replace sweet foods and drinks that are high in free sugars with foods and drinks that are non-sweet but are full of tasty flavours, e.g., non-sweet foods and drinks with nuts, herbs or spices.	Behavioral: Dietary advice - Taste; Asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to < 5%TEI and replace sweet foods and drinks that are high in free sugars with foods and drinks that are non-sweet but are full of tasty flavours, e.g., non-sweet foods and drinks with nuts, herbs or spices.
Active Comparator: No taste arm; Description: Participants in this arm will be asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to < 5%TEI and replace sweet foods and drinks that are high in free sugars with foods and drinks that are non-sweet and have no strong flavours, e.g., non-sweet plain foods and drinks.	Behavioral: Dietary advice - No taste; Asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to < 5%TEI and replace sweet foods and drinks that are high in free sugars with foods and drinks that are non-sweet and have no strong flavours, e.g., non-sweet plain foods and drinks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Free sugar intakes	Percentage total energy intake (%TEI) from free sugars, measured using multiple 24-hour dietary recalls.	Baseline to week 12
Adherence	Adherence with the dietary advice received will be assessed by self-report using online surveys.	week 3 to week 12

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Energy intake and diet composition	Energy intake and nutrient composition of dietary intakes, measured using multiple 24-hour dietary recalls.	Baseline to week 12
Body weight	Weight, in kilograms, assessed using standard digital scales.	Baseline to week 12
Waist circumference	Waist circumference, in centimeters, measured using standard flexible tape measure.	Baseline to week 12
Body fat percentage	Body fat percentage assessed using a bioimpedance scale.	Baseline to week 12
Body mass index	Body mass index assessed using a standard kg/m2 measurement.	Baseline to week 12
Fasted blood glucose	Fasted blood glucose (min 8h fast), in millimoles per litre, assessed using a prick-a-finger method and a blood glucose monitor.	Baseline to week 12
Sweet food and beverage preferences	Preferences for sweet foods and beverages will be assessed using a taste perception test. Participants will taste commercially available several sweet and non-sweet foods and beverages and indicate how pleasant these are and how much they desire to eat these using 0-100 visual analogue scales. Higher scores indicate greater pleasantness and desire to eat.	Baseline to week 12
Sweet food and beverage perceptions	Preferences of the sweet taste intensity will be assessed using a taste perception test. Participants will taste several commercially available sweet and non-sweet foods and beverages and indicate their sweetness intensity using 0-100 visual analogue scales. Higher scores indicate greater perceived sweetness intensity.	Baseline to week 12
Sweet food and beverage choice	Sweet food and beverage choice will be assessed using a breakfast meal. A wide selection of commercially available sweet and non-sweet breakfast foods and beverages will be presented, with participants free to choose what and how much they consume. Sweet food and beverage choices will be measured as the weight consumed during the breakfast meal. A take-home beverage will also be offered from a selection of sweet and non-sweet beverages with the choice recorded.	Baseline to week 12
Adverse events	Adverse events will be assessed via self-report.	Baseline to week 12
Dietary advice evaluation	Evaluation of and perceptions of the dietary advice received will be assessed by self-report using individual questions using online surveys.	week 3 to week 12
Sweet attitudes	Attitudes toward sugars, sweeteners, and sweet foods will be assessed using the Sweet Talk Questionnaire in six domains. The higher the score in a given domain, the more prevalent the attitude.	Baseline to week 12
Self-reported quality of life	Physical and psychosocial functioning will be assessed using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey. Higher scores indicate greater quality of life.	Baseline to week 12
Attitudes towards eating	General attitudes towards eating will be assessed using the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire in three domains. The higher the score in a given domain, the more prevalent the behaviour.	Baseline to week 12
Dietary knowledge	Knowledge of dietary and sugar recommendations will be assessed via self-report using specific indvidual questions in an online questionnaire.	Baseline to week 12

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Bournemouth University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 7, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 11, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): April 13, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 12, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 9, 2025
• Last Verified: June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: sweet taste; dietary behavior; free sugar
• Other Study ID Numbers: BielatRCT2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No