Failure of sucrose replacement with the non-nutritive sweetener erythritol to alter GLP-1 or PYY release or test meal size in lean or obese people

Abstract

There is considerable interest in the effect of foods containing high intensity sweeteners on satiation. However, less is known about low-calorie bulk sweeteners such as erythritol. In this randomized three-way crossover study, we studied 10 lean and 10 obese volunteers who consumed three test meals on separate occasions: (a) control sucrose meal; (b) isovolumic meal with partial replacement of sucrose by erythritol; (c) isocaloric meal which contained more erythritol but equivalent calories to the control meal. We measured gut hormone levels, hunger and satiety scores, ad libitum food intake, sucrose preference and intake after the manipulations. There was a greater post-prandial excursion in glucose and insulin levels after sucrose than after the erythritol meals. There was no difference in GLP-1/PYY levels or subsequent energy intake and sucrose preference between sucrose control and isovolumic erythritol meals. In lean (but not obese) participants, hunger decreased to a greater extent after the isocaloric erythritol meal compared to the control meal (p = 0.003) reflecting the larger volume of this meal. Replacing sucrose with erythritol leads to comparable hunger and satiety scores, GLP-1 and PYY levels, and subsequent sucrose preference and intake.

Keywords: Erythritol; Glucagon-like peptide 1; Obesity; Peptide YY; Sweeteners.

Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Figures

Fig. 1

Hunger and fullness scores after test breakfast, by type and group. Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean. In lean participants, hunger (top-left panel) and fullness scores (top-right panel) based on visual analogue scores (VAS) half-hourly after test breakfast consumption did not differ between the sucrose control (solid line) and the isovolumic erythritol meal (dashed line), while hunger scores were lowest and fullness scores highest after the isocaloric erythritol meal (dotted line, p = 0.003 and p = 0.02, respectively). In obese subjects, hunger and fullness scores were similar after consumption of the different test meals (bottom panels).

Fig. 2

Glucose excursion and insulin secretion after test breakfast, by type and group. Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean. Plasma glucose excursion (left panels) and insulin secretion (right panels) peaked the most after sucrose control meal (solid line) compared to the sweetener meals (dashed and dotted lines, all p ≤ 0.007) in both study groups.

Fig. 3

PYY and GLP-1 secretion after test breakfast, by type and group. Data are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean. In lean subjects, gut hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1, top-left panel) and peptide YY (PYY, top-right panel) increased similarly after the isovolumic erythritol (dashed line) and the sucrose control test breakfasts (solid line, p ≥ 0.76), while they increased more markedly after isocaloric erythritol meal consumption (dotted line, all p ≤ 0.04). The satiety response of GLP-1 and PYY after the different meals was similar in obese participants (bottom panels).