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Impact of Saccharin and Acesulfame-Potassium on Glycemia

Acute Impact of Saccharin and Acesulfame-Potassium Consumption and Glucose Levels in Middle-Aged and Older Adults With Prediabetes

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07506577
Enrollment
14
Registered
2026-04-01
Start date
2022-07-30
Completion date
2025-05-01
Last updated
2026-04-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Prediabetes

Keywords

non-sugar sweeteners, glucose

Brief summary

The major purpose of this research project is to learn if consuming artificial sweeteners have any impact on glucose levels in adults at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. People may be at risk for diabetes if you are a middle-aged or older adult. Briefly, the full study is 3 weeks long with 3 controlled feeding visits. Which means participants will eat all of the food and drinks that we provide to them for breakfast. Participants will come to the lab in the morning to eat breakfast, and we will monitor changes in blood glucose over a 2 hour period. Participants will be randomized into 1 of 3 groups: 1 group will receive acesulfame-potassium, 1 group will receive saccharin, and 1 group will receive no artificial sweeteners. Participants will experience a different group each visit, with about 7 days between each visit. We will be examining if consuming artificial sweeteners has any impact on glucose levels.

Detailed description

The study will utilize a randomized 3 period crossover design, with 3 instances of controlled feeding. The overall objective of this study is to establish proof-of-concept for impaired glycemic control and insulin sensitivity, but no alterations following aspartame intake, in middle-aged/older adults with prediabetes. We aim to enroll 14 middle-aged/older adults (40+ years) with prediabetes. Participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 3 controlled feeding conditions for 3 separate visits: acesulfame-potassium, saccharin, or control, each separated by a week. All participants will have been assigned to each artificial sweetener once by the end of the study. All test conditions will receive an identical breakfast, with the exception of the sweetener type. Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity will be measured directly after each controlled feeding.

Interventions

OTHERnon-sugar sweetener - saccharin

Participants will receive 7.5 mg/kg of body weight of saccharin

OTHERnon-sugar sweetener - acesulfame potassium

Participants will receive 7.5 mg/kg of body weight of acesulfame potassium

Participants will receive 240 mg of dextrose as the control.

Sponsors

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
40 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age 40+ years * Prediabetic * Weight stable for previous 6 months * BMI \<40 kg/m2 * Sedentary to recreationally active * No plans to gain/lose weight or change physical activity level * Consume less than one serving of non-sugar sweeteners per week

Exclusion criteria

* Diabetes or any diabetes medications * Antibiotic, prebiotic or prebiotic use in prior 3 months * Blood pressure (BP) \> 159/99 mmHg * Change in type or dose of these prescription medications over the past 6 months: antihypertensive medications, Statins, hormone replacement therapy (estrogen or testosterone) or oral contraceptives, thyroid medications * Diagnosed inflammatory bowel disease * Past or current heart diseases, stroke, respiratory disease, endocrine or metabolic disease, or hematological-oncological disease * Vegetarian or vegan * Pregnant or plans to become pregnant * Breastfeeding * Food allergies or aversions, Phenylketonuria (PKU)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Glucose tolerance120 minutesassessment of glucose concentrations over a 120 minute period

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Insulin120 minutesassessment of insulin sensitivity over a 2 hour time period

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Apr 2, 2026