The Effect of Aspartame and Sucralose Consumption on Food Intake and Body Composition of Rats

Abstract

Nowadays, the world is witnessing a high prevalence and a dramatic increase of overweight and obesity. It became a major concern in global health because it is even threatening children under five years of age, it is associated with metabolic abnormalities, and it is considered a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases. The free and added sugar are considered one of the major contributors to the positive energy balance thatcontributes to increased adiposity and obesity. Therefore, artificial sweeteners (AS) were introduced in the food and beverages industries as a substitute for sugar. AS were expected to be healthy substitute for sugar to prevent and treat the burden of obesity and its metabolic related diseases. However, many controversies exist in the literature regarding the metabolic effects of AS. The objective of this rodent study is to assess the metabolic effects of consumption of usual amounts of aspartame and sucralose (commonly used AS) in food and/or in water. The study mimics real-life situations since sucralose and aspartame are present with moderate amounts in a variety of food and beverages.48 adult male rats were divided into 7 groups (1 control group+ 6 interventional groups). The Control group was fed for 8 weeks a regular starch dietaccompanied with regular water. Whereas the interventional groups were fed for 8 weeks either (1) a regular starch diet,with aspartame-/ sucralose-sweetened water (2) or aspartame-/sucralose-sweetened starch dietwith regular water, (3) or aspartame-/sucralose-sweetened starch diet, with aspartame-/ sucralose-sweetened water. After that, rats were sacrificed, and metabolic analysis was performed. Comparing the consumption of starch without AS vs. starch sweetened with different doses of aspartame and sucralose, the AS aspartame and sucralose were shown to be significantly associated with an increase in body weight and fat mass, accompanied with a decrease in lean mass independently from food intake. The severity of the effect depends on the dose of the AS. Smaller doses of sucralose did not have a significant effect on body weight, but they did not fail to alter the body composition and increase the fat mass. Although the effect on serum glucose, insulin, and lipid profile and kidneys was not significant, however, it is believed that a longer period of consumption could show significant results. Sucralose and aspartame were tested for safety but limited work has been done on their efficacy.