Fructose acute effects on glucose, insulin, and triglyceride after a solid meal compared with sucralose and sucrose in a randomized crossover study.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized crossover trial
PubMed 27099245 · doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.129866
What was done
A randomized crossover study evaluated 27 healthy, overweight, and obese adults (mean age 44 years, mean BMI 26 kg/m²). Participants consumed sweet-taste-balanced muffins containing 66 g total fat along with either fructose (52 g), sucrose (65 g), or sucralose (0.1 g). Blood samples were collected at baseline and every 30 minutes for 4 hours to assess glucose, triglyceride, and insulin concentrations, including area under the curve (AUC) and incremental area under the curve (iAUC).
What was found
No significant differences were observed among the 3 sweeteners for triglyceride and glucose concentrations or AUC. Glucose iAUC was lower for fructose than for sucrose and sucralose (P < 0.05). Insulin concentrations differed significantly by sweetener type (P = 0.001), time-by-sweetener interaction (P = 0.035), AUC (P < 0.001), and iAUC (P < 0.001). Fructose resulted in a significantly lower insulin response than sucrose (P = 0.006) or sucralose (P = 0.041). Absolute concentration values and effect sizes were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
When consumed as part of a solid mixed meal, moderate acute fructose does not worsen postprandial triglyceride levels compared to sucrose or sucralose and attenuates postprandial insulinemia.
Limits
The study tested only acute 4-hour responses to a single meal challenge in a small sample (n = 27), preventing conclusions about long-term metabolic outcomes. Absolute numerical values, baseline metabolic traits, and confidence intervals are not provided in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Acute administration of fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or immediately elevate blood glucose substantially in animals or humans.