Aspartame ingested without tasting inhibits hunger and food intake.
The effects on motivation to eat and food intake of administering small amounts of aspartame (234 to 470 mg: lower dose equivalent to the amount of aspartame contained in 1-2 cans of some soft drinks) in capsules to human volunteers were examined in two separate experiments (the second was a replication of the first). The results provided clear evidence of a prominent postingestive inhibitory action of aspartame on appetite: consumed in capsules, aspartame reduced subsequent food intake and, to a lesser extent, motivation to eat. The mechanism underlying this effect has yet to be elucidated. A possibility is that the release of cholecystokinin by phenylalanine, a constituent of aspartame, is involved. A further result was that drinking aspartame-sweetened water did not reliably reduce motivational ratings or food intake (in the first experiment aspartame ingested in capsules significantly reduced food intake compared with the same amount ingested as a sweet drink). One interpretation of these together with previous findings is that the response to consuming aspartame is determined by at least two interacting influences: an inhibitory postingestive effect and a stimulatory effect of its sweet taste. In turn, the relative potency of these influences may be modified by certain other features of the aspartame-sweetened food or drink (e.g., its nutrient content). Another implication of these results is that it cannot be assumed that intense sweeteners will all have equivalent effects on appetite.
Rogers
P J
PJ
Psychology Department, University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
Pleming
H C
HC
Blundell
J E
JE
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001218:Aspartame / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004326:Drinking / Q000187:drug effects; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects*; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects*
D004151:Dipeptides; D001218:Aspartame