Aspartame in conjunction with carbohydrate reduces insulin levels during endurance exercise

Siegler, Jason; Howell, Keith; Vince, Rebecca; Bray, James; Towlson, Chris; Peart, Daniel; Mellor, Duane; Atkin, Stephen

Abstract

Background: As most sport drinks contain some form of non-nutritive sweetener (e.g. aspartame), and with the variation in blood glucose regulation and insulin secretion reportedly associated with aspartame, a further understanding of the effects on insulin and blood glucose regulation during exercise is warranted. Therefore, the aim of this preliminary study was to profile the insulin and blood glucose responses in healthy individuals after aspartame and carbohydrate ingestion during rest and exercise.Findings: Each participant completed four trials under the same conditions (45 min rest + 60 min self-paced intense exercise) differing only in their fluid intake: 1) carbohydrate (2% maltodextrin and 5% sucrose (C)); 2) 0.04% aspartame with 2% maltodextrin and 5% sucrose (CA)); 3) water (W); and 4) aspartame (0.04% aspartame with 2% maltodextrin (A)). Insulin levels dropped significantly for CA versus C alone (43%) between pre-exercise and 30 min, while W and A insulin levels did not differ between these time points.Conclusions: Aspartame with carbohydrate significantly lowered insulin levels during exercise versus carbohydrate alone. © 2012 Siegler et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Citation

Siegler, J., Howell, K., Vince, R., Bray, J., Towlson, C., Peart, D., …Atkin, S. (2012). Aspartame in conjunction with carbohydrate reduces insulin levels during endurance exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9, Article 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-9-36

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 28, 2012
• Online Publication Date: Aug 1, 2012
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2012
• Deposit Date: Oct 24, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 21, 2021
• Journal: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition
• Electronic ISSN: 1550-2783
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Article Number: 36
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-9-36
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/562278