Acesulfame K, xylitol and sucrose before a meal
What it found
In 20 healthy people, a drink sweetened with acesulfame K or xylitol led to a lower total energy intake than a sucrose-sweetened drink.
Energy eaten at the following meal was similar after all four drinks.
What they found
Studies in people
Total energy intake
Total energy intake, counting the drink plus the meal, was lower after xylitol and after acesulfame K than after sucrose. There was no difference between xylitol and acesulfame K, or between either of them and water.
Energy at the meal
Energy eaten at the test meal itself was similar after all four drinks. It tended to be lower after xylitol than after acesulfame K.
Gut satiety hormone CCK
Blood levels of the gut hormone CCK were higher after xylitol than after sucrose, acesulfame K or water, both before and during the test meal.
Gut hormone GLP-1
Blood levels of the gut hormone GLP-1 did not differ between the four drinks.
Blood sugar and insulin
Blood sugar was lower after xylitol than after sucrose, and similar to acesulfame K and water. Before the meal, insulin was lower after xylitol than after sucrose but higher than after acesulfame K or water.
Gut symptoms
Seven people reported mild stomach rumbling and three had diarrhea after xylitol. All symptoms went away during or shortly after the visit, and no one dropped out because of them.
What the authors conclude
“The consumption of oral preloads sweetened with xylitol or ace-K prior to an ad libitum test meal result in a lower total energy intake compared to a preload with sucrose.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that drinks sweetened with xylitol or acesulfame K before a meal lead to a lower total energy intake than a drink with sucrose.
- They say this is mainly because xylitol and acesulfame K contain fewer calories, and possibly also because xylitol causes CCK release.
- They note that their trial only looked at short-term effects and that the effect of daily xylitol consumption in everyday life needs more study.
How it was done
The authors wanted to see how xylitol, sucrose and the artificial sweetener acesulfame K affect how much people eat at a later meal, and how they affect gut satiety hormones and blood sugar.
Twenty healthy people with normal body weight each came for four visits. At each visit they drank 300 mL of water containing 33.5 g xylitol, 33.5 g sucrose, 0.1675 g acesulfame K, or plain water, then 15 minutes later ate as much as they wanted from a test meal.
What it can’t tell you
- The trial only measured what happened at one meal, so it cannot show whether people eat more later in the day to make up for the difference.
- It cannot show what happens with long-term daily use of these sweeteners.
- The results are from 20 healthy people with normal body weight, so they may not apply to other groups.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Swiss National Science Foundation; Research Foundation Flanders (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.
- Authors work at
- University of Basel, Switzerland; University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Laboratory for Brain-Gut Axis Studies, Belgium
The paper
- Title
- Effects of Oral Xylitol, Sucrose, and Acesulfame Potassium on Total Energy Intake During a Subsequent ad libitum Test Meal: A Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Trial in Healthy Humans
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Flad E, Altstädt A, Beglinger C, et al (2025). Effects of Oral Xylitol, Sucrose, and Acesulfame Potassium on Total Energy Intake During a Subsequent ad libitum Test Meal: A Randomized, Controlled, Crossover Trial in Healthy Humans. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu17030484Free full textPubMed 39940340DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error