Changing the sweet taste of someone’s diet has no impact on their sweet tooth or health, study suggests

Changing the amount of sweetness in a person’s diet has no impact on their liking for sweet foods, the results of a new trial suggest.

The results also showed no difference in indicators of cardiovascular disease or diabetes risk between people who increased or decreased their intake of sweet-tasting foods over a six-month period. 

The research team suggest that consequently public health organisations may need to change their current advice on reducing sweet food consumption to tackle the obesity crisis.  

The study was carried out by Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands and Bournemouth University in the UK. The results have been published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

“People have a natural love of sweet taste which has led many organisations, including the World Health Organisation, to offer dietary advice on reducing the amount of sweetness in our diets altogether,” said Katherine Appleton, Professor in Psychology at Bournemouth University and corresponding author for the study. “However, our results do not support this advice, which does not consider whether the sweet taste comes from sugar, low calorie sweeteners, or natural sources.” she added. 

During the trial, 180 participants were split into three groups. One group consumed a diet containing a high amount of sweet-tasting food, a second group consumed a low amount and a third consumed an average amount. The sweetness in the foods provided for their diets came from a combination of sugar, natural sweetness or low-calorie sweeteners.

After one, three and six months, participants were surveyed on whether their liking and perception of sweet foods had changed. They were also weighed and provided blood and urine samples to measure any changes in their diabetes risk and cardiovascular health. 

At the end of the trial, the researchers found no significant differences in any of the measures across the three groups. Participants also reported a spontaneous return to their previous intake of sweet foods after the six months.

Based on their results, the study team are recommending that public health organisations may need to change their current advice on reducing sweet foods to tackle overweight and obesity.  

“It’s not about eating less sweet food to reduce obesity levels,” Professor Appleton said. “The health concerns relate to sugar consumption. Some fast-food items may not taste sweet but can contain high levels of sugar. Similarly, many naturally sweet products such as fresh fruit and dairy products can have health benefits. Public advice therefore needs to concentrate on how people can reduce the amount of sugar and energy-dense foods they consume,” she concluded.