(OR21-06-25) The Sweet Tooth Trial: Effect of Low or High Dietary Sweet Taste Exposure on Sweet Taste Liking, Perception and Body Weight in Healthy Adults

Objectives: Health organizations recommend lowering the consumption of sweet-tasting foods; assuming that lower exposure to sweet foods lowers preferences for sweet-tasting foods, decreasing sugar and energy intake, and aiding in obesity prevention. However, empirical data supporting this narrative are lacking; this study assesses the effect of a 6-month low, regular, and high dietary sweetness exposure on preference for sweet foods and beverages. 

Methods: A total of 180 healthy adults participated in 6-month parallel randomized dietary trial with 3 intervention groups: Low (recommended intake), Regular (average intake), or High dietary Sweetness Exposure (upper quartile of intake). Intervention foods were provided, ad libitum, covering 50% of daily food items, including sugar-sweetened, low-calorie-sweetener-sweetened and non-sweet tasting foods. Sweet taste preferences and other behavioral measures and several health outcomes, such as body weight and biomarkers for diabetes and CVD were measured. [clinicaltrials.gov NCT04497974]

Results: Preliminary results show that despite lower exposure to sweet-tasting foods - supported by sweetener biomarkers in urine - this does not lead to shifts in sweet taste preferences, changes in sweet taste perception, changes in food choice, or energy intake. Also, an increased exposure to sweet-tasting foods did not lead to an increased preference for sweet foods or other behavioral outcomes. Also, no effects were observed on body weight and biomarkers for diabetes and CVD. After intervention, subjects spontaneously returned to baseline levels of sweet food intake at 1 and 4 months follow-up.

Conclusions: High or low exposure to sweet-tasting foods for 6 months did not change sweet taste preferences, nor did it impact other behavioral or health outcomes. Our findings do not support the belief that changing sweet taste exposure affects sweet preferences. More importantly, it suggests that it is unlikely that advice to reduce the exposure to, or intake of, sweet-tasting foods prevents excess energy intake. Dietary recommendations should therefore focus on evidence-based strategies, such as reducing energy density, limiting portion sizes, and avoiding foods with a high energy intake rate such as sugar-sweetened beverages.

Funding Sources: TKI Top Sector Agri & Food scheme for public-private partnerships.