Assessments of Metabolic Responses to Acute Oral Administration of Sucrose, Glucose, and Fructose

Sugar should not be defined by origin (added sugar, free sugar, simple sugar) but rather by chemical structure (sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc.). Although the disaccharide sucrose is hydrolysed by sucrase into its monosaccharides glucose and fructose, the administration of each of the three sweeteners alone results in different metabolic effects.

Although sucrose, glucose, and fructose are long known sweeteners in food and beverages and their metabolic effects have been extensively studied, there are still no comprehensive studies comparing the three sweeteners in a whole range of parameters. The main inconsistency in the literature is the study design which influences the outcomes. It is important to differentiate whether it is an acute or chronic study, whether the participants are adults or children, are healthy or have T2DM, have normal weight, overweight or obesity, whether the dosage is chosen to be isocaloric or isosweet, whether there is a control group or whether the sweeteners are administered orally or intragastrical.

Inclusion criteria

• Healthy, non-diabetic (glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) < 5.7%, fasting glucose < 5.6 mmol/L), and normal weight participants with a body-mass index (BMI) of 19.0-24.9 kg/m2, parameters of complete blood count within normal range
• Age 18-55 years
• Stable body weight (± 5%) for at least three months
• Able to give informed consent as documented by signature

Exclusion criteria

• Fructose intolerance
• Any pre-existing diet (e.g., vegetarian diet, vegan diet, sugar free diet, paleo diet, Atkins diet, ketogenic diet) that deviates from normal eating habits
• Regular consumption (>1/ week) of erythritol or xylitol
• Regular intake of medications, except contraceptives
• Pre-existing impairment of blood coagulation/thrombocyte function (e.g. hereditary, regular intake of anti-coagulant agents (e.g. NSAIDs, heparin, warfarin, etc.))Chronic or clinically relevant acute infections/diseases
• Substance abuse (more than 1 glass wine/beer per day; regular consumption of cannabis, consumption of cocaine, heroin, etc.), regular smoking
• Pregnancy: although no contraindication, pregnancy might influence metabolic state. Women who are pregnant or have the intention to become pregnant during the course of the study are excluded. In female participants a urine pregnancy test is carried out upon screening.
• Shift worker
• Participation in another study with investigational drug within the 30 days preceding and during the present study