A six-month trial indicates that altering the amount of sweet-tasting food people consume does not change their enjoyment of sweetness. Researchers observed no significant differences in health markers related to heart disease and diabetes risk among participants. These participants consumed diets with high, low, or average levels of sweetness.
The findings challenge public health recommendations that advise reducing sweet-tasting foods to combat overweight and obesity. The study suggests that the primary targets for dietary intervention should be sugar intake and energy-dense foods, rather than sweetness itself.
The study was conducted by researchers at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands and Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom. The results were published in the *American Journal of Clinical Nutrition*.
One hundred eighty participants were divided into three groups. Each group followed a diet with a different level of sweet-tasting food: high, low, or average. Sweetness in these foods came from various sources, including sugar, natural sugars, and low-calorie sweeteners.
After one, three, and six months, participants reported on their liking for sweet foods and their perception of sweetness. Researchers also monitored body weight and collected blood and urine samples. These samples were analyzed for changes in markers associated with diabetes risk and cardiovascular health. No significant differences were found among the three groups in any of the measured outcomes. Participants also tended to revert to their previous sweet food consumption levels after the study concluded.
The research team suggests that public health organizations may need to re-evaluate recommendations that broadly target sweet-tasting foods. They emphasize that sweetness and sugar are distinct concepts. Dietary guidance may be more effective if it focuses on the nutritional quality of foods, particularly their sugar and calorie content, rather than simply their sweet taste.
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