title: Can children discriminate sugar-sweetened from non-nutritively sweetened beverages and how do they like them?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Replacement of sugar-sweetened by non-nutritively sweetened beverages or water may reduce excess weight gain in children. However, it is unclear whether children like non-nutritively sweetened beverages as much as sugar-sweetened beverages. We examined whether children could taste a difference between non-nutritively sweetened beverages and matching sugar-sweetened beverages, and which of the two types of beverage they liked best.
  
  
  METHODS
  89 children aged 5 to 12 tasted seven non-nutritively sweetened beverages and matching sugar-sweetened beverages, for a total of 14 beverages. We used Triangle tests to check their ability to discriminate between the matched versions, and a 5-point scale to measure how much the children liked each individual beverage.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 24% of children appeared to be genuinely capable of distinguishing between non-nutritively sweetened and sugar-sweetened beverages. The mean ± SD score for how much the children liked the non-nutritively sweetened beverages was 3.39 ± 0.7 and that for the sugar-sweetened beverages 3.39 ± 0.6 (P = 0.9) on a scale running from 1 (disgusting) to 5 (delicious). The children preferred some beverages to others irrespective of whether they were sugar-sweetened or non-nutritively sweetened (P = 0.000). Children who correctly identified which of three drinks contained the same sweetener and which one was different also showed no preference for either type.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that about one in four children were able to discriminate between non-nutritively sweetened and sugar-sweetened beverages but children liked both varieties equally. Non-nutritively sweetened beverages may therefore be an acceptable alternative to sugar-sweetened beverages although water remains the healthiest beverage for children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Janne C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: de Ruyter
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Martijn B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Katan
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kas
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Margreet R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Olthof
mesh_terms: D001628:Beverages / Q000032:analysis*; D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D064306:Non-Nutritive Sweeteners / Q000494:pharmacology*; D057181:Pleasure / Q000187:drug effects; D055697:Taste Perception / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D064306:Non-Nutritive Sweeteners