Clinical Summary
The critical comments and disagreements on LCS persist despite it being among the most thoroughly evaluated and tested food additives. The three claims examined in this current review are (1) LCS disrupt the learned control of energy intake (sweet taste confusion hypothesis); (2) exposure to sweetness increases desire for sweetness (sweet tooth hypothesis); (3) consumers might consciously overcompensate for ‘calories saved’ when they know they are consuming LCS (conscious overcompensation hypothesis). The interventional studies demonstrated, so far, that the replacement of sugar with an LCS in the diet helps reduce the total energy intake and body weight. The three claims, which are most prominent, pertaining to the effect of LCS undermining healthy weight management and energy intake, had little to no evidence that supported them. In any case, the results of the intervention studies comparing LCS vs. sugar indicate that the effect of energy dilution outweighs any tendency LCS might conceivably have to increase energy intake.
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