Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs) are consumed to reduce intake by providing a sweet taste with little to no energy. Despite regulatory approval and extensive use, uncertainty remains about their long-term role in weight management and health, and about whether exposure to sweet taste itself, independent of energy, influences these outcomes. This narrative review synthesizes evidence from three recent European consortia: SWEET, SWITCH and Sweet Tooth, which together provide complementary data from acute, short- and long-term randomized controlled trials. The studies examined the effects of NNSs and dietary sweet taste exposure on body weight, health-related biomarkers, sweet taste preference, and eating behavior. Across studies, replacing sugars with NNSs appeared to support weight loss maintenance, while NNS consumption and dietary sweet taste exposure showed no adverse changes in body weight, glucoregulatory and endocrine biomarkers, cardiometabolic risk factors, gut microbiota, or liver enzymes. Likewise, neither NNS use nor different dietary sweet taste exposure altered sweet taste liking, appetite sensation, energy intake, or food choice. However, interpretation should consider the characteristics of the included studies, including selected populations, intervention context, outcome heterogeneity, and the fact that several behavioral and biomarker outcomes were secondary or exploratory. Overall, the reviewed evidence suggests that replacing sugar intake with NNSs may support weight management strategies, while differences in habitual dietary sweet taste exposure per se appear largely neutral with respect to health-related biomarkers and sweet taste preferences.

Introduction:The First Latin American Scientific Forum on Low- and No-Calorie Sweeteners (LNCS) was held in Merida, México, in 2025 with several key objectives: to critically review evidence regarding their safety, health effects, and regulation; to analyze current recommendations and policies on sugars and LNCS in the region; and to establish an initial agenda for Latin American research and collaboration. Reviews indicated that risk assessment agencies across North America, Europe, and Latin America agree on the safety of approved LNCS when consumption remains within the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) levels. Data from Chile, México, and Brazil show that sugar intake systematically exceeds recommendations, while LNCS consumption is frequent but generally well below the recommended upper limits. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) indicate that replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with LNCS-sweetened alternatives is associated with modest reductions in body weight and improvements in cardiometabolic health. In contrast, some observational studies suggest adverse associations, which are likely influenced by inherent methodological limitations such as residual confounding, reverse causality, and heterogeneity in comparators. These discrepancies are typically reduced or eliminated when applying appropriate substitution models and more comprehensive adjustments. Recent RCTs in adults with overweight or obesity identify neutral or modestly beneficial effects on appetite, weight, and blood glucose when LNCS replace sugar. These findings also highlight the need to explore the potential differential effects of individual LNCS and their impact on specific populations, including people with diabetes, to expand the evidence base and confirm results from existing RCTs. Experts concluded that sugar and LNCS policies in Latin America must balance the high disease burden related to excessive sugar consumption with the evidence for LNCS safety and the heterogeneous findings based on specific molecules, populations, and study designs. Proposals included strengthening consumption surveillance, promoting local cohorts and RCTs, investigating real-world exposure to LNCS, and developing multicentric networks and communication strategies to support sugar reduction through safe, low-calorie alternatives.

Extensive epidemiological research and the findings from one randomised controlled feeding trial (RCT) have shown associations between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and higher energy intakes. To date the specific properties of UPF foods and diets that may be responsible for driving higher energy intakes remain unclear. A comparison of the diets in the single RCT to date showed a significantly higher eating rate (g/min, ER) for meals in the UPF diet compared to those in the minimally processed diet. Numerous acute feeding trials have shown that foods with textures that promote a slower ER tend to be consumed in smaller portions compared to those consumed at a faster ER. Here, we describe the rationale and approach for the Restructure RCT with the primary aim to determine the effect of meal texture-derived ER (g/min) of UPF diets (‘UPF Slow ER’ vs. ‘UPF Fast ER’) on daily ad libitum energy intake (kcal/day) across a 14-day period. The secondary objectives of the Restructure RCT are to compare changes in body composition and metabolic markers following the same two diets. We hypothesise that texture-derived differences in ER will moderate food and energy intakes from UPF diets such that participants will consume less when they encounter textures that promote a slower eating rate. The outcomes of the Restructure RCT aim to provide new insights on the proposed mechanisms by which UPF are thought to promote greater energy intakes, and aid in the development of food-based strategies to moderate dietary energy intakes from processed foods. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT06113146

Authoritative public health agencies, like the WHO, recommend reducing dietary sweetness to lower sweet liking, and thereby indirectly lowering sugar and energy intake. However, data on an association between sweetness liking and sugar/sweet food intake are inconsistent. Moreover, sweetness liking can be measured in various ways, and the agreement between methods is unclear. Baseline data from the Sweet Tooth study (n = 178) were used to evaluate the agreement between three different measures of sweetness liking and their association with sugar and sweet food intake. Sweetness liking was assed by: 1) psychohedonic sweetness functions, 2) sweet liker phenotype, and 3) self-reported sweet / fat-sweet preference. Sugar and sweet food intake were assessed via 24-h recall and a FFQ assessing the consumption of food groups based on taste (TasteFFQ). On a group level, the three sweetness liking measures showed similar results; sweet liker phenotype showed higher liking of high sweetness levels (F(2,175) = 27.9, p < .001), and higher preference for sweet and fat-sweet foods (sweet: chi(2)(2) = 16.2, p < .001, sweet-fat: chi(2)(2) = 24.8;p < .001). Self-reported preferences for sweet foods were associated with intake of simple sugars (chi(2)(1) = 6.10, p = .014), energy (chi(2)(1) = 5.82, p = .016), and sweet foods (chi(2)( 1) = 5.05, p = .025). Neither the psychohedonic functions, sweet liker phenotype nor self-reported fat-sweet preferences were associated with sugar and/or sweet food intake (all p > .05). These findings suggest that, while sweetness preferences can be measured using different approaches, high sweetness liking has only a limited relationship with actual sugar and sweet food intake. These findings challenge the assumption that preferences for sweet tastes drive high intakes of sweet foods and sugars. Ethical approval for the involvement of human subjects in this study was granted by METC-WU, ABR nr. NL72134,10/05/20.

Background Public health organizations currently recommend lowering the consumption of sweet-tasting foods, on the assumption that a lower exposure to sweet-tasting foods lowers preferences for sweet taste, decreasing sugar and energy intake, and aiding obesity prevention. However, empirical data supporting this narrative are lacking. Objectives The objective of this study was to assess the effects of a 6-mo low, regular, and high dietary sweet taste exposure on liking for sweet taste. Methods In a parallel-groups randomized controlled intervention study, 180 healthy adults (female/male: 123/57; aged: 35 ± 15 y; body mass index (in kg/m2): 23 ± 3) were provided with dietary advice and ∼50% daily energy needs for 6 mo, where 7% (low sweet taste exposure, n = 61), 35% (regular sweet taste exposure, n = 60), or 80% (high sweet taste exposure, n = 59) provided foods and beverages were sweet tasting from sugars, low-calorie sweeteners, fruits and dairy. Before, at 6 mo, and at a 4-mo follow-up, sweet taste liking, sweet taste intensity perception, food choice, energy intake, body weight, markers for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and adverse events were assessed. Results Sweet food consumption varied between groups over the intervention period (self-reported dietary measures (percentage energy, percentage weight): smallest χ2(16) = 59.4, P < 0.001; urinary markers for sucrose, sucralose, and saccharin: smallest χ2(10) = 21.0, P = 0.02). However, from baseline to month 6, no differences between groups were found in sweet taste liking ( χ2(40) = 37.9, P = 0.56), sweet taste intensity perception (χ2(40) = 20.7, P = 0.99), sweet food choice (χ2(10) = 10.1, P = 0.43), energy intake (χ2(10) = 12.7, P = 0.24), body weight (χ2(10) = 14.3, P = 0.16), markers for diabetes and cardiovascular disease (largest χ2(10) = 15.9, P = 0.10) or adverse events. After the intervention, participants also spontaneously returned to baseline levels of sweet food intake. Conclusions In the current trial, altering exposure to sweet-tasting foods did not change sweet taste liking, nor other outcomes. These results do not support public health advice to reduce exposure to sweet-tasting foods, independent of other relevant factors such as energy density and food form.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT04497974.

BACKGROUND:Previous research has shown that diets dominated by ultraprocessed foods (UPF) are associated with higher dietary energy intakes. This association may be attributable in part to meal texture and associated eating rate (ER). Experimental studies are needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms. OBJECTIVES:The objective was to compare daily energy intake (kcal/d) from diets with different meal texture-derived ER (g/min) (UPF Slow-ER compared to UPF Fast-ER) across a 14-day period. Two UPF diets comprised of foods selected to have textures known to lead to a slower or faster ER. METHODS:Forty-one participants [n = 21 male, mean (± standard deviation) age 27 ± 5; weight 70 ± 10 kg; body mass index 23.4 ± 1.9] completed a single-blind, block-randomized crossover study including 2 14-day diets; UPF Slow-ER and UPF Fast-ER, with a 2-wk washout. Diets were served ad libitum and matched for palatability, portion size served, total energy served, non-beverage energy density, and meal variety. RESULTS:Daily energy intake was 369 kcal/d (95% confidence interval: 221, 517) lower on the UPF Slow-ER diet compared with the UPF Fast-ER diet [main effect; F (1, 1051) = 23.98, P < 0.001]. The effect on energy intake was consistent across participants and the number of days on the diet [diet∗time: F (13, 1051) = 0.96, P = 0.486], and was not attributable to meal liking or macronutrient intake (all, P > 0.05). There was no change in body weight pre-diets to post-diets, and no differences in body weight between the 2 diets. Body fat mass decreased on the UPF Slow-ER diet by 0.43 kg [main effect; F (1, 119) = 14.68, P = 0.0002]. CONCLUSIONS:Food texture-derived ER has a significant and sustained effect on energy intake of ultraprocessed diets over a 2-wk period. This finding highlights the importance of food texture in guiding ER and the central role of sensory cues in regulating meal size. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT06113146.

Abstract Background Several health organizations recommend lowering the consumption of sweet-tasting foods. The rationale behind this recommendation is that a lower exposure to sweet foods may reduce preferences for sweet tasting foods, thus lowering sugar and energy intake, and in turn aiding in obesity prevention. However, empirical data supporting this narrative are lacking. In fact, relatively little is known about the contribution of long-term sweet taste exposure on one’s sweetness preferences. Methods The primary objective of this randomized controlled trial is to assess the effect of low, regular and high dietary sweetness exposure on preference for sweet foods and beverages, and to compare these effects between intervention groups. One hundred and eighty adults aged 18–65 years with a BMI of 18.5–30.0 kg/m2 will be recruited and randomly allocated to either: low dietary sweetness exposure (LSE) (10–15% daily energy from sweet tasting foods), regular dietary sweetness exposure (RSE) (25–30% daily energy from sweet tasting foods), or high dietary sweetness exposure (HSE) (40–45% daily energy from sweet tasting foods), for 6 months, followed by a 4-month follow up. Intervention foods are provided ad libitum, covering approximately 50% of the daily number of food items, to include sugar-sweetened, low-calorie-sweetener-sweetened and non-sweet foods. The primary outcome measure is the difference in change in sweetness preference from baseline to 6 months between intervention groups. Secondary outcomes include: change in sweet taste preferences at different time-points; taste intensity perception; behavioral outcomes: food choice and intake, sweet-liker type, food cravings, dietary taste preferences and dietary taste patterns; anthropometric outcomes: body composition, waist-hip circumference, body weight; and biochemical outcomes: glucose variability and biomarkers related to CVD and diabetes. Discussion This study will generate important data on the effect of dietary sweetness exposure on sweetness preferences in terms of effect size and change, duration of change and its impact on food intake, body weight status and associated health outcomes. Trial Registration The study protocol has been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (ID no. NCT04497974, Registered 4 August 2020, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04497974 ) and approved by Wageningen’s Medical Ethical Committee (ABR no. NL72134).

Het reuksysteem en het smaaksysteem behoren tot de zogenaamde chemische zintuigen: ze reageren op chemische prikkels vanuit de omgeving en in de voeding. Reuk- en smaaksignalen zijn doorslaggevend voor de beloningswaarde van voeding, en daarom van groot belang bij wat en hoeveel mensen eten. Mensen eten wat ze ‘lekker’ vinden en vermijden datgene wat ze als vies ervaren. De blootstelling aan reuk en smaak bij het eten is voor een belangrijk deel afhankelijk van de structuur van de voeding. Daarnaast wordt de ‘smaak’ van eten in brede zin opgebouwd uit signalen van verschillende zintuigen, die in de hersenen worden omgebouwd tot een holistische sensorische perceptie. Dit hoofdstuk begint met een omschrijving van de belangrijkste anatomische en fysiologische kenmerken van het reuksysteem en het smaaksysteem. Dan wordt de grote rol die reuk en smaak hebben bij ‘normaal’ eetgedrag beschreven en wordt aandacht besteed aan de effecten van de structuur van de voeding op de inname van energie. Het hoofdstuk eindigt met de oorzaken, diagnose en gevolgen van reuk- en (smaak)stoornissen.

The Nutri-Score front-of-pack label, which classifies the nutritional quality of products in one of 5 classes (A to E), is one of the main candidates for standardized front-of-pack labeling in the EU. The algorithm underpinning the Nutri-Score label is derived from the Food Standard Agency (FSA) nutrient profile model, originally a binary model developed to regulate the marketing of foods to children in the UK. This review describes the development and validation process of the Nutri-Score algorithm. While the Nutri-Score label is one of the most studied front-of-pack labels in the EU, its validity and applicability in the European context is still undetermined. For several European countries, content validity (i.e., ability to rank foods according to healthfulness) has been evaluated. Studies showed Nutri-Score's ability to classify foods across the board of the total food supply, but did not show the actual healthfulness of products within different classes. Convergent validity (i.e., ability to categorize products in a similar way as other systems such as dietary guidelines) was assessed with the French dietary guidelines; further adaptations of the Nutri-Score algorithm seem needed to ensure alignment with food-based dietary guidelines across the EU. Predictive validity (i.e., ability to predict disease risk when applied to population dietary data) could be re-assessed after adaptations are made to the algorithm. Currently, seven countries have implemented or aim to implement Nutri-Score. These countries appointed an international scientific committee to evaluate Nutri-Score, its underlying algorithm and its applicability in a European context. With this review, we hope to contribute to the scientific and political discussions with respect to nutrition labeling in the EU.

Dietary fat overconsumption contributes to the development of obesity and related comorbidities; however, its sensory perception is poorly understood. Although humans can discriminate between vapor-phase fatty acids, both ortho- and retronasally, evidence of orthonasal fat discrimination in real foods is limited, and non-existent for retronasal olfaction. In two experiments, we investigated the human ability of olfactory food fat content discrimination in dairy milk and assessed whether this ability is affected by habitual dairy intake. Participants undertook a series of DR A-not A discrimination tests (analysed with R-index analyses) coupled with perceptual ratings and a questionnaire on dairy consumption habits. In the first experiment (n = 66), ortho- and retronasal discrimination was evaluated using dairy milk samples manipulated to contain 0%, 1.5% and 3.5% fat. Subjects could discriminate between all three fat levels orthonasally (p < .001), whereas retronasally they were able to do so between 0 and 1.5% (p < .001) and 0-3.5% (p < .001). The second experiment (n = 44) focused only on retronasal discrimination, using (manipulated) dairy milk samples of 3.5%, 7%, 10.5% and 14% fat. Here, discrimination was possible between 3.5 and 14% (p < .001) and 7-14% (p < .05) samples. No effects of total dairy fat intake, total dairy product intake or dairy exposure frequency were observed on discrimination ability in both experiments. This is the first study demonstrating that humans are capable of discriminating food fat content solely based on retronasal olfaction. Results also suggest that this ability is unaffected by habitual intake.

Sensory properties inform likes and dislikes, but also play an important functional role in guiding food choice and intake behavior. Odors direct food choice and stimulate sensory-specific appetites and taste helps to anticipate calorie and nutrient content of food. Food textures moderate eating rate and the energy consumed to satiation and post-ingestive metabolism. We summarize how sensory cues moderate intake, and highlight opportunities to apply sensory approaches to improve dietary behavior. Salt, sweet and savory taste influence liking, but also influence energy intake to fullness, with higher taste intensity and duration linked to lower intake. Psycho-physical studies show it is relatively easy to rank taste intensities at different concentrations but more challenging to discriminate fat contents, and fat discrimination declines further when combined with high-taste intensity. Fat has low impact on sensory intensity, but makes significant contributions to energy content. Combinations of high taste and fat-content can promote passive energy over-consumption, and adding fat also increases energy intake rate (kcals/min), reducing opportunities to orally meter consumption. Consumers adapt their oral processing behaviors to a foods texture, which can influence the rate and extent of energy intake. Understanding how texture influences eating behaviors and bolus formation, affords new opportunities to impact eating rate, energy intake and metabolic response to food. Food formulation has traditionally focused on composition and sensory appeal. Future research needs to consider the role of sensory properties in moderating consumer interaction with their food environment, and how they influence calorie selection, and shape our eating behaviors and intake.

Overweight, obesity and cardiometabolic diseases are major global health concerns. Lifestyle factors, including diet, have been acknowledged to play a key role in the solution of these health risks. However, as shown by numerous studies, and in clinical practice, it is extremely challenging to quantify dietary behaviors as well as influencing them via dietary interventions. As shown by the limited success of 'one-size-fits-all' nutritional campaigns catered to an entire population or subpopulation, the need for more personalized coaching approaches is evident. New technology-based innovations provide opportunities to further improve the accuracy of dietary assessment and develop approaches to coach individuals towards healthier dietary behaviors. Pride & Prejudice (P&P) is a unique multi-disciplinary consortium consisting of researchers in life, nutrition, ICT, design, behavioral and social sciences from all four Dutch Universities of Technology. P&P focuses on the development and integration of innovative technological techniques such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, conversational agents, behavior change theory and personalized coaching to improve current practices and establish lasting dietary behavior change.

Objectives Flavours increase attractiveness of electronic cigarettes and stimulate use among vulnerable groups such as non-smoking adolescents. It is important for regulators to monitor the market to gain insight in, and regulate the range of e-liquid flavours that is available to consumers. E-liquid manufacturers are required to report key product information to authorities in the European Member States in which they plan to market their products. This information was used to provide an overview of e-liquid flavour descriptions marketed in the Netherlands in 2017. Methods Two researchers classified 19 266 e-liquids into the 16 main categories of the e-liquid flavour wheel, based on information from four variables in the European Common Entry Gate system. Flavour descriptions were further specified in subcategories. Results For 16 300 e-liquids (85%), sufficient information was available for classification. The categories containing the highest number of e-liquids were fruit (34%) , tobacco (16%) and dessert (10%). For all e-liquids, excluding unflavoured ones, 245 subcategories were defined within the main categories. In addition to previously reported subcategories, various miscellaneous flavours such as sandwich, buttermilk and lavender were identified. Conclusions In 2017, ~20 000 e-liquids were reported to be marketed in the Netherlands, in 245 unique flavour descriptions. The variety of marketed flavour descriptions reflects flavour preference of e-cigarette users as described in literature. Our systematic classification of e-liquids by flavour description provides a tool for organising the huge variety in market supply, serves as an example for other countries to generate similar overviews and can support regulators in developing flavour regulations.

Various global public health agencies recommend minimizing exposure to sweet-tasting foods or beverages. The underlying rationale is that reducing exposure to the perception of sweet tastes, without regard to the source of sweetness, may reduce preferences for sweetness, added sugar intake, caloric intake, and body weight. However, the veracity of this sequence of outcomes has yet to be documented, as revealed by findings from recent systematic reviews on the topic. Efforts to examine and document the effects of sweetness exposure are needed to support evidence-based recommendations. They require a generally agreed-upon methodology for measuring sweetness in foods, beverages, and the overall diet. Although well-established sensory evaluation techniques exist for individual foods in laboratory settings, they are expensive and time-consuming, and agreement on the optimal approach for measuring the sweetness of the total diet is lacking. If such a measure could be developed, it would permit researchers to combine data from different studies and populations and facilitate the design and conduct of new studies to address unresolved research questions about dietary sweetness. This narrative review includes an overview of available sensory techniques, their strengths and limitations, recent efforts to measure the sweetness of foods and diets across countries and cultures, and a proposed future direction for improving methods for measuring sweetness toward developing the data required to support evidence-based recommendations around dietary sweetness.

This systematic review with meta-analyses aimed to identify the sensory and physical characteristics of foods/beverages which increase satiation and/or decrease/delay subsequent consumption without affecting acceptability. Systematic searches were first undertaken to identify review articles investigating the effects of any sensory and physical food characteristic on food intake. These articles provided some evidence that various textural parameters (aeration, hardness, homogeneity, viscosity, physical form, added water) can impact food intake. Individual studies investigating these effects while also investigating acceptability were then assessed. Thirty-seven individual studies investigated a textural manipulation and provided results on food intake and acceptability, 13 studies (27 comparisons, 898 participants) investigated effects on satiation, and 29 studies (54 comparisons, 916 participants) investigated effects on subsequent intake. Meta-analyses of within-subjects comparisons (random-effects models) demonstrated greater satiation (less weight consumed) from food products that were harder, chunkier, more viscous, voluminous, and/or solid, while demonstrating no effects on acceptability. Textural parameters had limited effects on subsequent consumption. Between-subjects studies and sensitivity analyses confirmed these results. These findings provide some evidence that textural parameters can increase satiation without affecting acceptability. The development of harder, chunkier, more viscous, voluminous, and/or solid food/beverage products may be of value in reducing overconsumption.