Sugars and satiety: does the type of sweetener make a difference?

Background: Widespread use of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in beverages has been linked to rising obesity rates. One hypothesis is that HFCS in beverages has little satiating power.

Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the relative effect of commercial beverages containing sucrose or HFCS on hunger, satiety, and energy intakes at the next meal with the use of a within-subject design.

Design: Thirty-seven volunteers (19 men, 18 women) aged 20-29 y consumed isocaloric cola beverages (215 kcal) sweetened with sucrose, HFCS 42, or HFCS 55. HFCS 42 contains 42% fructose, and HFCS 55 contains 55% fructose. Diet cola (2 kcal), 1%-fat milk (215 kcal), and no beverage were the control conditions. The 5 beverages were consumed at 1010 (2 h after a standard breakfast). Participants rated hunger, thirst, and satiety at baseline and at 20-min intervals after ingestion. A tray lunch (1708 kcal) was served at 1230, and energy intakes were measured. The free sugars content of sucrose-sweetened cola was assayed at the time of the study.

Results: We found no differences between sucrose- and HFCS-sweetened colas in perceived sweetness, hunger and satiety profiles, or energy intakes at lunch. The 4 caloric beverages tended to partially suppress energy intakes at lunch, whereas the no-beverage and diet beverage conditions did not; the effect was significant (P<0.05) only for 1%-fat milk. Energy intakes in the diet cola and the no-beverage conditions did not differ significantly.

Conclusion: There was no evidence that commercial cola beverages sweetened with either sucrose or HFCS have significantly different effects on hunger, satiety, or short-term energy intakes.