Sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages and intrahepatic fat: A randomized controlled trial.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To test the hypothesis that substituting artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) decreases intrahepatocellular lipid concentrations (IHCL) in overweight subjects with high SSB consumption.

METHODS:

About 31 healthy subjects with BMI greater than 25 kg/m(2) and a daily consumption of at least 660 ml SSB were randomized to a 12-week intervention in which they replaced SSBs with ASBs. Their IHCL (magnetic resonance spectroscopy), visceral adipose tissue volume (VAT; magnetic resonance imaging), food intake (2-day food records), and fasting blood concentrations of metabolic markers were measured after a 4-week run-in period and after a 12-week period with ASB or control (CTRL).

RESULTS:

About 27 subjects completed the study. IHCL was reduced to 74% of the initial values with ASB (N = 14; P < 0.05) but did not change with CTRL. The decrease in IHCL attained with ASB was more important in subjects with IHCL greater than 60 mmol/l than in subjects with low IHCL. ALT decreased significantly with SSB only in subjects with IHCL greater than 60 mmol/l. There was otherwise no significant effect of ASB on body weight, VAT, or metabolic markers.

CONCLUSIONS:

In subjects with overweight or obesity and a high SSB intake, replacing SSB with ASB decreased intrahepatic fat over a 12-week period.

• Authors: Vanessa Campos, Camille Despland, Vaclav Brandejsky, Roland Kreis, Philippe Schneiter, Arnaud Chiolero, Chris Boesch, Luc Tappy
• Journal: Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) (Obesity (Silver Spring)) Vol. 23 Issue 12 Pg. 2335-9 (Dec 2015) ISSN: 1930-739X [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 26727115 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2015 The Obesity Society.

Chemical References

• Dietary Carbohydrates
• Sweetening Agents

Topics

• Adipose Tissue (drug effects, metabolism)
• Adult
• Beverages (adverse effects)
• Body Weight (drug effects)
• Dietary Carbohydrates (pharmacology)
• Female
• Humans
• Intra-Abdominal Fat (drug effects, metabolism)
• Lipid Metabolism (drug effects)
• Liver (drug effects, metabolism)
• Male
• Obesity (diet therapy, metabolism)
• Overweight (diet therapy, metabolism)
• Sweetening Agents (pharmacology)