SWEET – Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers: Impact on health, obesity, safety and sustainability
SWEET was a 5-year multidisciplinary EU-project, including 29 partners. The purpose was to develop and review the evidence for the long-term benefits and potential risks associated with dietary sweeteners.
The primary purpose of the project was to investigate the role of sweeteners in weight control, and potentially move viable products to the consumer market.
The SWEET project consisted of 8 work packages, 3 of which were carried out at the University of Copenhagen. These 3 work packages consisted of:
- A 1-year intervention study
- An acute study
- A cross-over study
All studies were conducted at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen.
Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers: Prolonged effects on health, obesity and safety
This study were examined the long-term effects of sweeteners on health, obesity, and safety, including whether consuming sweetened products increased the success of sustaining weight loss.
The study duration was 1 year and was divided into 2 periods.
For adults, there was a weight-loss period of 2 months followed by a weight maintenance period of 10 months.
For children, there was a weight maintenance period of 2 months followed by a period of 10 months with maintenance of the age-appropriate BMI.
Publications
Read all the details about the trial design and data collection in this publication:
Protocol for a multicentre, parallel, randomised, controlled trial on the effect of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers on health, obesity and safety in overweight adults and children: the SWEET project. BMJ Open (2022).
The main results are found in this publication:
Effect of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers on weight management and gut microbiota composition in individuals with overweight or obesity: the SWEET study | Nature Metabolism
Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers: Short term impact on food behaviour, physiology & health
This study investigated the acute effects of 4 new beverages sweetened with sugar or sweeteners on blood parameters, wellbeing, and consumer acceptance.
Adults aged 18-60 participated in the study.
The study consisted of 4 visits at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, and lasted for about 1-2 months.
Publications
The main results are found in this publication:
Impact of acute consumption of beverages containing plant-based or alternative sweetener blends on postprandial appetite, food intake, metabolism, and gastro-intestinal symptoms: Results of the SWEET beverages trial. Appetite (2023).
Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers: Acute and repeated dose impact on food behaviour, physiology & health
This study examined the effects of 14 days of intake of new foods sweetened with sugar or sweeteners on a number of parameters related to food intake and health.
The cross-over design meant that each participant consumed 3 different foods for 3 periods of 14 days.
Publications
Read all the details about the trial design and data collection in this publication:
Acute and repeated impact of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers in solid and semi-solid foods on appetite: protocol for a multicentre, cross-over, RCT in people with overweight/obesity – the SWEET Project BMJ Open (2022).
Main results are not publised yet.
Involverede i projektet
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anne Marie Raabyemagle | Nutrition Consultant | +4535332486 | |
| Jane Guldborg Jørgensen | Biomedical Laboratory Scientist | +4535332472 |
Funded by
The European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
Project period: 2018 - 2023.