Acute Effects of the Two Alternative Sweeteners D-allulose and Erythritol on Metabolism

Erythritol (natural non-caloric sweetener) could be an ideal candidate substitute for sugar as it may reduce caloric intake without compensatory overeating or earlier return of hunger. Moreover, it may serve as a physiological tool to disentangle the effects of gastrointestinal (GI) sweet taste receptor stimulation, (an)orexigenic hormone secretion, and glucose metabolism/caloric content on food intake regulation in vivo in humans. However, its effects on appetite, satiation, and satiety have not been studied systematically. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying erythritol-induced anorexigenic GI hormone release have not been investigated so far. D-allulose is a sugar substitute with almost zero calories and is naturally occurring in small quantities. Apart from its use as sugar replacement, D-allulose seems to favorably affect glycemic control and metabolism as could be shown in animal trials and in a few human trials. However, to date the effects of D-allulose on GI hormone secretion, appetite-related sensations and glycemic control, are not or insufficiently studied in humans. The aim of this project is therefore to investigate the effect of intragastric (ig) D-allulose on metabolic parameters in general and to investigate the effect of sweet taste receptor blockade on GI hormone responses, glycemic control, gastric emptying (GE) rates and appetite-related sensations to ig administration of erythritol and D-allulose.