Neotame in biscuits: appetite and blood sugar effects
What it found
In adults with overweight or obesity, biscuits sweetened with Neotame reduced the insulin rise after eating compared with sucrose biscuits, but made no difference to appetite.
The study found no clear effect on blood glucose for Neotame.
What they found
Studies in people
Appetite
All three biscuit types reduced appetite sensations similarly over 3 hours. There was no difference between Neotame, stevia, and sucrose biscuits in the composite appetite score.
Insulin response
After eating, insulin levels were lower with Neotame biscuits than with sucrose biscuits. The same was true for stevia biscuits.
Glucose response
Blood glucose was lower after stevia biscuits compared with sucrose biscuits. For Neotame, glucose was also lower but the difference was not statistically significant.
Gut hormones
There were no differences between the biscuit types in levels of ghrelin, GLP-1, or pancreatic polypeptide after eating.
Gastrointestinal symptoms
More people reported gut symptoms like flatulence during the Neotame and stevia periods than during the sucrose period. The authors suggest this may be due to the polyols used in the reformulated biscuits.
Food preferences
There were no differences between biscuit types in how much people liked or wanted high-fat or sweet foods after eating.
What the authors conclude
“In conclusion, biscuits reformulated to replace sugar using StRebM or Neotame showed no differences in appetite or endocrine responses, acutely or after a two-week exposure, but can reduce postprandial insulin and glucose response in adults with overweight or obesity.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that biscuits reformulated with Neotame or stevia showed no differences in appetite or endocrine responses compared to sucrose, but can reduce postprandial insulin and glucose response in adults with overweight or obesity.
- They say that glucose and insulin responses were blunted after acute and repeated consumption of sweetener-reformulated biscuits, which may confer a benefit for blood glucose control.
How it was done
The authors wanted to test whether replacing sugar with sweeteners in solid foods affects appetite and hormone responses, since most previous studies used drinks and there is little research on Neotame or stevia in baked goods.
They ran a randomised crossover trial with 53 healthy adults with overweight or obesity in England and France. Each person ate biscuits with fruit filling containing sucrose, Neotame, or stevia rebaudioside M every day for two weeks, with two-week washouts between each type, and their appetite and blood responses were measured on the first and last day of each period.
What it can’t tell you
- This was a two-week study, so it cannot show what happens over longer periods.
- The results apply to adults with overweight or obesity eating biscuits, and may not apply to other foods or other groups of people.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- Declaration of interests JCGH and JAH are in receipt of research funding from the American Beverage Association. ARA has received honoraria from Nestle, Unilever and the International Sweeteners Association. University of Liverpool has received income from International Food Information Council by CH. CH has received honoraria for work with Food Standards Agency Advisory Committee on Social Sciences. MW was previously contracted to research funded by AstraZeneca through funding paid to University of Liverpool. CS is a paid employee of Cargill, Inc. The University of Leeds has received income from consultancy for Mars Inc by JCGH. EAR has received honoraria for manuscript writing from Institute of Life Sciences (ILSI-Europe).
- Authors work at
- University of Leeds, UK; University of Navarra, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research (IdiSNa), Spain
The paper
- Title
- Acute and two-week effects of neotame, stevia rebaudioside M and sucrose-sweetened biscuits on postprandial appetite and endocrine response in adults with overweight/obesity-a randomised crossover trial from the SWEET consortium
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Gibbons C, Beaulieu K, Almiron-Roig E, et al (2024). Acute and two-week effects of neotame, stevia rebaudioside M and sucrose-sweetened biscuits on postprandial appetite and endocrine response in adults with overweight/obesity-a randomised crossover trial from the SWEET consortium. EBioMedicine. doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105005Free full textPubMed 38553262DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error