Sucralose Mouth Rinse Enhances Cephalic Phase Insulin Release

Abstract

Objective: To assess the combined and independent effects of energy content and sweetness on cephalic phase insulin release (CPIR) and compare responses in adults with normal weight (NW) and obese (OB) body mass indexes (BMI). Methods: In this randomized, double-blind crossover study, 39 adults (NW: n=21; OB: n=18), aged 18-45y (24±5y), rinsed with mouth rinses containing either sucrose, sucralose, maltodextrin, or water for 2min before expectorating the solution. Blood sampling occurred at -5, 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 15min following each mouth rinse to assess changes in glucose and CPIR. Results: All rinses elicited increases in insulin (d = -0.5) and glucose (d = -1.1) (p<0.05). There was enhanced CPIR in response to sucralose vs. sucrose (d = 0.4, p=0.004), driven by OB (d = 0.3, p=0.001) vs. NW (p=0.99). For glucose, there was a greater increase following maltodextrin vs. water (d = 0.3, p=0.01), driven by OB (d = 0.2, p=0.02) vs. NW (p=0.99).Conclusion: Sucralose and maltodextrin elicited more robust CPIR and enhanced glucose release, with differences occurring only amongst OB. As postprandial hyperglycemia is a hallmark of obesity, sucralose and maltodextrin rinsing may be important for improving post-meal responses in adults with obesity.