- Click here for explanation of classification scheme.

This review will examine recently published studies on aspartame, hunger and food intake and will focus on some important aspects of data collection and study design.

None given.

None given.

Review of studies.

Studies reviewed from 1982, based on references.

Short-Term Effects of Aspartame on Hunger Ratings and Food Consumption

	Black et al, 1991	Black et al, 1993	Canty, Chan, 1991	Drewnowski et al, 1994
Subjects	20 men	18 men	18 women, two men	12 men, 12 women
Dose (mg)	170	340	112	500
Vehicle	288ml, 560ml soft drink	280ml, 560ml soft drink	20ml, soft drink	500ml, fromage blanc
Test meal	Lunch: 60-minute delay	Lunch: 60-minute delay	Lunch: 60-minute delay	Lunch: three-hour  delay  Snack: 6.5-hour delay Dinner: 9.5-hour delay
Hunger Ratings	No effect, compared with  mineral water	No effect, compared with  560ml mineral water. Increased, compared with 280ml mineral water	No effect, compared with  water	No effect, compared with plain preload
Food Intake	No effect, compared with mineral water	No effect, compared with mineral water	No effect, compared with  water	No effect, compared with plain preload

Do Intense Sweeteners Increase Appetite?

• Initial reports (Blundell J et al, 1986, Rogers et al, 1989), that adding aspartame to plain water and saccharin to plain yogurt leads to a robust increase in appetite ratings, have not been replicated in later studies. No stimulation of appetitie was observed for beverages or for such foods as cereal, gelatin dessert or creamy dessert-type white cheese, even with motivational ratings measured up to 120 minutes postingestion. The addition of sweet taste at levels close to the hedonic optimum had no significant effect on appetite.
• Black RM et al, 1993, observed a transient increase in the desire to eat, following the consumption of 340mg of aspartame in 280ml of mineral water, relative to an equal amount of plain water.
• Tordoff MG et al, 1990, that used different levels of aspartame in chewing gum, reported an increase in subjective hunger ratings, though not in a way that was monotonically related to sweetness levels.
• Birch LL et al, 1989, study on nine- and 10-year-old children, aspartame-sweetened soft drinks (three kcal) did not lead to higher ratings relataive to sucrose-sweetened drinks (90kcal) or drinks sweetened with aspartame and supplemented with a carbohydrate.
• Rolls BJ et al, 1990, found adults who consumed aspartame or sucrose-sweetened lemonade (five kcal vs. 166kcal) showed no major differences in hunger ratings as measured zero, 30 and 60 minutes later. Similarly, Rolls BJ et al, 1989, found adults who consumed a high- or low-calorie pudding or a gelatin dessert (mean difference of 206kcal) showed comparable ratings of hunger and the desire to eat 120 minutes later. Data suggest subjects cannot easily distinguish between low- and high-energy versions of the same stimulus, at least for a short time postingestion. In most studies, energy manipulations were relatively small (80-200kcal) and the time interval was generally in the order of 30 to 60 minutes.
• Black et al, 1993, showed that the perception of hunger and satiety may be influenced more strongly by the volume of preload consumed than by its sweetness or caloric density. 560ml of carbonated mineral water reduced motivational ratings (desire to eat) more effectively than 280ml of mineral water. In contrast, there was no differnce between 560ml of mineral water and 560ml of aspartame-sweetened diet soda.
• Drewnowski A et al, 1994, study compared the effects of four breakfast preloads on motivational ratings and energy intakes in 24 normal-weight men and women. The preloads, composed of creamy white cheese, were either plain or sweetened with aspartame or sucrose. While all preloads were of comparable volume (500ml), the differnce in energy value between the low- and high-energy preloads was 400kcal. Motivational ratings were obtained at 30-minute intervals for up to 120 minutes (Figure 1). All four preloads initially suppressed hunger ratings to a comparable extent. However, hunger ratings measured during the subsequent two hours clearly showed that the consumption of lower-energy breakfasts (300kcal vs. 700kcal) led to increased hunger ratings by 12 noon. There was no suggestion that the addition of sweet taste to a plain stimulus promoted hunger or the desire to eat.
  

Do Intense Sweeteners Increase Food Consumption?

• There is no evidence that the addition of sweet taste to a plain preload promotes food consumption either at the next meal or at another point during the day (Black RM et al 1993, Rogers PJ et al, 1989, Mattes R et al, 1990, Drewnowski A et al, 1994 Am J Clin Nutr and 1994 Int J Obesity).
• Caloric compensation following the substitution of sucrose with low-energy intense sweeteners have shown perfect compensation, partial compensation and no compensation (Table 1).
• Rogers, Blundell et al, 1989, observed that the ingestion of saccharine-sweetened (131kcal) as opposed to glucose-sweetned yogurt (295kcal), resulted in perfect calorie compensation in a meal presented 60 minutes later.
• Birch et al, 1989, observed perfect calorie compensation among two- to five-year-old children following intense sweetener preloads. In contrast, a similar study by Anderson GH et al, 1989, with nine- to 10-year-old children showed no energy compensation at all. 
• Roll BJ et al, 1990, gave lemonade preloads sweetened with aspartame, which led to energy compensation when the meal was presented 30 or 60 minutes after the preload, but not when the preload and lunch were consumed at the same time.
• The presence or absence of energy compensation may well depend on the experimental methods. The nature of the preload (liquid or solid), its timing (breakfast or lunch) and the time interval between preload and the test meal may all be important factors. The extent of energy compensation may be influenced by the subjects' age and sex, their habitual diet and the degree of dietary restraints.

Is There a Physiological Adaptation to Intense Sweeteners?

• Only a few long-term studies: Porikos et al, 1982, replaced sucrose with aspartame over a period of 11 days, leading to only a partial (40%) compensation for the missing sucrose calories. Tordoff MG et al, 1990, found the consumption of 1,135ml of aspartame-sweetened as oppposed to fructose-sweetened soft drink daily for 21 days, was associated with lower energy intakes.

Do Intense Sweeteners Help with Body Weight?

• The available data is limited.
• Kanders BS et al, 1993, examined the effects of aspartame on the long-term control of body weight. 163 females who were obese and clients of a multidisciplinary weight control program were randomly assigned to one of two groups. They were asked to either consume or to abstain from aspartame-sweetened foods and beverages during the active weight loss phase (19 weeks) and during the follow-up phase (2.5 years). While the initial weight loss was comparable for the two groups, the sweetener group showed better weight maintenance during the follow-up period. The authors interpreted the data as aspartame improving compliance and, together with the reduced calorie diet and exercise, facilitated long-term control of body weight.

There is no evidence that the addition of intense sweetener to a plain stimulus promotes appetite or results in increased food consumption during some later meal. Longer-term studies are needed to assess chronic effects of intense sweeteners on dietary compliance and the control of body weight.

University/Hospital:

University of Michigan