August 29, 2014 - Blog
New research from Texas Christian University (TCU) suggests that drinking beverages sweetened with non-caloric sweeteners—versus drinking water or a sugar-sweetened beverage—may encourage unhealthy diet choices.
For the study, published this month in the journal Appetite, researchers conducted three experiments in which 116 participants ages 18 to 25 years were randomly given an unmarked cup filled with either a non-caloric sweetened beverage (a diet soda), a sugar-sweetened beverage (regular soda) or non-sweetened beverage (sparkling water). Researchers then measured their cognition, snack choices and responses to sugary food.
In the first experiment, the diet soda drinkers were faster to identify the names of high-calorie foods (like hamburger or milkshake) than participants who drank a non-sweetened or sugar-sweetened beverage. “There was no difference among the groups in identifying the words of low-calorie foods like ‘apple’ or ‘carrot’," said study author Sarah Hill, associate professor of psychology, TCU. Hill suggested these results may indicate that diet beverages “prime you to choose unhealthy food items. Those foods are on your mind."
In the second experiment, participants—who were told they were taking part in a consumer product study—were given the choice to take home a bag of chocolate candy, a pack of sugar-free gum or a bottle of spring water. The diet soda drinkers were significantly more likely to choose the high-calorie candy than were the participants who had regular soda or sparkling water.
Finally, to test participants’ response to sugar, researchers had the volunteers eat as many cookies as they wanted and then report on their satisfaction. “We found that drinking a diet drink didn’t change how many cookies they ate," Hill said, “but the participants who had the diet drink did report feeling less satisfied after eating."
But don’t think sugary beverages get a free pass.
Hill notes that, in the sugar response experiment, there was no difference in the number of cookies eaten by those who drank regular soda and plain water. “People just don’t seem to compensate for the calories consumed in a beverage," Hill said. “Even if we consciously think about it, a less deliberate part of our mind might not really register those calories."
Sweetening beverages has presented its share of challenges—sugar-sweetened beverages have been blamed as lead contributors of the obesity epidemic, while non-nutritive sweeteners have been blamed for weight gain and increased cravings. As pressure continues to mount on nationwide sugars intake (as with FDA’s recent proposal to include “added sugars" on the Nutrition Facts panel), product designers are forced to find ingredients that can reduce calories and maintain the sensory qualities consumers seek, often in “natural," clean-label solutions.
The Food Product Design FoodTech Toolbox recently took a close look at the sweeteners landscape in this freereport, to help mitigate some of these challenges that come with reducing sugar content in products.
For the study, published this month in the journal Appetite, researchers conducted three experiments in which 116 participants ages 18 to 25 years were randomly given an unmarked cup filled with either a non-caloric sweetened beverage (a diet soda), a sugar-sweetened beverage (regular soda) or non-sweetened beverage (sparkling water). Researchers then measured their cognition, snack choices and responses to sugary food.
In the first experiment, the diet soda drinkers were faster to identify the names of high-calorie foods (like hamburger or milkshake) than participants who drank a non-sweetened or sugar-sweetened beverage. “There was no difference among the groups in identifying the words of low-calorie foods like ‘apple’ or ‘carrot’," said study author Sarah Hill, associate professor of psychology, TCU. Hill suggested these results may indicate that diet beverages “prime you to choose unhealthy food items. Those foods are on your mind."
In the second experiment, participants—who were told they were taking part in a consumer product study—were given the choice to take home a bag of chocolate candy, a pack of sugar-free gum or a bottle of spring water. The diet soda drinkers were significantly more likely to choose the high-calorie candy than were the participants who had regular soda or sparkling water.
Finally, to test participants’ response to sugar, researchers had the volunteers eat as many cookies as they wanted and then report on their satisfaction. “We found that drinking a diet drink didn’t change how many cookies they ate," Hill said, “but the participants who had the diet drink did report feeling less satisfied after eating."
But don’t think sugary beverages get a free pass.
Hill notes that, in the sugar response experiment, there was no difference in the number of cookies eaten by those who drank regular soda and plain water. “People just don’t seem to compensate for the calories consumed in a beverage," Hill said. “Even if we consciously think about it, a less deliberate part of our mind might not really register those calories."
Sweetening beverages has presented its share of challenges—sugar-sweetened beverages have been blamed as lead contributors of the obesity epidemic, while non-nutritive sweeteners have been blamed for weight gain and increased cravings. As pressure continues to mount on nationwide sugars intake (as with FDA’s recent proposal to include “added sugars" on the Nutrition Facts panel), product designers are forced to find ingredients that can reduce calories and maintain the sensory qualities consumers seek, often in “natural," clean-label solutions.
The Food Product Design FoodTech Toolbox recently took a close look at the sweeteners landscape in this freereport, to help mitigate some of these challenges that come with reducing sugar content in products.
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