Stevia, monk fruit and aspartame drinks compared with sugar in 30 men
What it found
Drinks sweetened with stevia, monk fruit or aspartame led to the same total daily calorie intake, blood sugar and insulin levels as a sugary drink.
This was measured in 30 healthy men over single test days.
What they found
Studies in people
Calories eaten at lunch
The men ate more at their free-choice lunch after having any of the three zero-calorie sweetener drinks compared with the sugar drink.
Total daily calories
The extra food eaten at lunch made up for the calories skipped by choosing a zero-calorie drink instead of sugar. Total calories eaten across the whole day were about the same for all four drinks.
Blood sugar spikes
The sugar drink caused large rises in blood sugar within the first hour. After lunch, blood sugar rose more following the zero-calorie drinks than after the sugar drink.
Insulin spikes
Insulin followed the same pattern as blood sugar. It spiked early after the sugar drink but rose more after lunch when the men had drunk the zero-calorie beverages.
Overall blood sugar and insulin
When added up over the full three hours, total blood sugar and insulin levels did not differ between the sugar drink and any of the three zero-calorie drinks.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that drinks sweetened with either artificial or natural zero-calorie sweeteners have very little effect on total daily calorie intake compared with a sugary drink.
- They also say these sweetened drinks barely change blood sugar and insulin responses after eating when compared with sugar.
How it was done
Swapping sugar for zero-calorie sweeteners might help people manage blood sugar and body weight. Few studies have looked at how the body handles calories, blood sugar and insulin after drinking both artificial and natural sweeteners.
Thirty healthy men each tried four different drinks on separate test days: one sweetened with sugar (65 g), one with aspartame, one with monk fruit and one with stevia. After a set breakfast, they drank the test beverage mid-morning and ate as much lunch as they wanted an hour later. Researchers measured blood sugar and insulin every 15 minutes for the first hour, then every 30 minutes for two more hours, and tracked food eaten for the rest of the day.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This trial only included 30 healthy men, so the results may not apply to women, children or people with health conditions.
- Each test lasted only one day, so it cannot show what happens when people drink these sweeteners regularly over weeks or months.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore; National University of Singapore, Singapore
The paper
- Title
- Effects of aspartame-, monk fruit-, stevia- and sucrose-sweetened beverages on postprandial glucose, insulin and energy intake
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Tey SL, Salleh NB, Henry J, Forde CG (2017). Effects of aspartame-, monk fruit-, stevia- and sucrose-sweetened beverages on postprandial glucose, insulin and energy intake. International journal of obesity (2005). doi:10.1038/ijo.2016.225PubMed 27956737DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error