The detrimental effect of refined sugars on metabolic health is currently the subject of intense discussion. The objective of this study was to compare the metabolic responses following the chronic ingestion of sucrose to that of various natural sweeteners in a diet-induced obese insulin-resistant rat model. Rats were fed a high-fat high sucrose diet (HFHS) for 8 weeks and received daily gavage (representing 7% of added sugar intake) with equivalent amount of total carbohydrates from sucrose, MS, molasses, brown rice syrup, agave syrup, corn syrup, or honey. Glucose homeostatis and insulin sensitivity were determined by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and HOMA-IR index. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was assessed by hepatic triglyceride (TG) content and liver inflammation. Daily gavage with the different natural sweeteners did not lead to differences in body weight gain. During the OGTT, similar glycemic responses were observed across the different treatment groups. However, the insulin excursions were significantly lower in the MS treated animals suggesting improved insulin sensitivity. Calculation of the HOMA-IR index further revealed that MS and other natural sweeteners (except for corn syrup) significantly improved insulin sensitivity as compared to sucrose treatment. Furthermore, whereas hepatic TG content was reduced in MS, molasses and agave syrup treated rats, there was an increased TG accumulation in the brown rice and corn syrup treated rats. Hepatic inflammation, as revealed by increased IL-1B levels in obese rat liver, was also reduced by natural sweeteners as compared to sucrose. We conclude that substituting sucrose for an equivalent amount of natural sweeteners improve insulin sensitivity and reduce NAFLD in diet-induced obese rats. Among the natural sweeteners, MS, molasses and agave syrup appear to exert the most consistent beneficial effects on multiple metabolic health endpoints, suggesting that consumption of those natural sweeteners is a healthier alternative to simple refined sugar. Preliminary studies further suggest that some of the benefits of MS consumption may be linked to increased abundance of <i>Akkermansia muciniphila</i> in the gut microbiota of HFHS-fed rats.

Substituting sucrose for an equivalent amount of maple syrup and other natural sweeteners reduces metabolic syndrome and liver steatosis in a rat model of diet-induced obesity

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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