Effects on weaned male Wistar rats after 104, 197, and 288 days of chronic consumption of nutritive and non-nutritive additives in water

It has been suggested that the consumption of artificial sweeteners is related to greater body mass gain and diverse metabolic alterations. In this study, the effect of chronic consumption of nutritive sweeteners (fructose 7% and sucrose 10%) and non-nutritive or low-calorie sweeteners (acesulfame 0.015%, aspartame 0.3%, aspartame:acesulfame mixture 0.04%, saccharin 0.3%, and sucralose 0.19%), in drinking water, as well as a control group with no sweeteners, was evaluated. Body mass gain and glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and total cholesterol levels in blood were the parameters considered. For this purpose, 120 weaned male Wistar rats of the HsdHan:WIST line were used, 15 per group in first stage, then 10 and 5 per group for 2nd and 3rd stages, respectively. Body mass gain, food intake, and beverage consumption were daily quantified. After 104, 197, and 288 days of experimentation the concentrations of glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, and insulin were determined. Only in the first stage there were significant differences in the body mass gain. In the three stages there were significant differences in the patterns of beverage intake and food consumption. The trend was the same in all 3 stages: rats drank more in the groups of drinks sweetened with nutritive sweeteners and ate more in the groups that drank non-nutritive artificial sweeteners. Regarding the biochemical profile, no sweetener either nutritive or non-nutritive caused that the serum levels of glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol were at pathological levels. It is concluded that the sweeteners by themselves can modify certain biochemical parameters but not at a pathological level. Furthermore, by themselves they are not capable of triggering excess of body mass or obesity in the early and medium stages of life when consumed together with a balanced diet. Graphic abstract