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.
Psychology Department, University of Leeds, United Kingdom.
P J
PJ
Rogers
H C
HC
Pleming
J E
JE
Blundell
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