H2020 SWEET Project: Sweeteners and sweetness enhancers: Impact on health, obesity, safety and sustainability
- Type Project
- Status Firmado
- Execution 2018 -2024
- Assigned Budget 8.987.579,00 €
- Scope Europeo
- Main source of financing H2020
- Project website Proyecto SWEET
The SWEET project is designed to identify and address barriers and facilitators to the use of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers (S&E) and examine the risks and benefits of using S&E to replace dietary sugar in the contexts of health, obesity, safety, and sustainability. Industry experts will integrate technology, health, and sweetness databases to provide a platform for selecting new and emerging S&E for inclusion in food products.
The behavioral and physiological impact of specific E&E products will be examined in acute and repeated dosing studies, and natural population differences (by age, region, gender, etc.) in sweetness perception will be established. A sensory profile will be developed, and genetic determinants will be assessed. The pivotal randomized controlled trial will adopt a whole-diet approach to examine the impact of prolonged sugar substitution on weight control, appetite, and energy intake. The underlying mechanistic effects of E&E use, alone or in combination, will be assessed using the developed technology platform in acute studies. Outcomes related to safety and general health risks will be measured i) in acute and chronic studies and ii) investigated with secondary data (long-term interventions, prospective cohorts). Preferences and perceptions of sweeteners and sweeteners among European consumers, as well as barriers to their acceptance, consumption, and use, will be determined.
The environmental cost and sustainability of replacing sugar with sweeteners and artificial sweeteners will also be modeled. Consumers will be engaged to inform the research design, and stakeholder-driven exploitation and impact plans will be developed to communicate and disseminate the project objectives and results in order to (i) address the role of sweeteners in weight management for the target audience (consumers, health professionals, scientists, policymakers, regulators) and (ii) bring effective products to market. A gender action plan will be developed and implemented to promote equity in all research activities.
Innovation and Production: Databases on the technological and health impact of a group of spirits and flavored beverages have been generated. Toxicological evaluation has assessed the safety of each spirit and flavored beverage. Innovative candidates and blends have been selected for evaluation in clinical trials. Three low-sugar beverages have been developed for Phase 1 (acute) trials, and two spirit and flavored beverage blends have been included in foods (cakes, biscuits, chocolates, yogurt, and cereals) for Phase 2 (medium-term) trials. Sweet taste receptor studies have examined spirits and flavored beverages and blends in cellular assays to determine their binding and activation potential at sweet and bitter taste receptors, and to examine the impact of mutations on receptor affinity.
The regulatory framework for the approval of new spirits and flavored beverages in foods has been completed. Short-term effects on dietary behavior: Phase 1 trials have assessed the acute impact of spirits and flavored beverage mixes. Analysis of biological samples is ongoing. Ethics approval has been obtained, and trials have begun in all centers participating in the Phase 2 trials. Long-term effects on diet and health safety: The long-term dietary intervention was revised to a 1-year intervention with no follow-up. The recruitment target for adults was achieved, but a low number of children were recruited. The intervention was completed, and final data entry and cleaning is ongoing. Epidemiological studies: Data were harmonized to produce a common virtual database for merging analysis. Longitudinal associations between S&SE intake and markers of metabolic syndrome and NAFLD were analyzed.
Work was completed to develop and validate a S&SE biomarker method to compare self-reported with real-world S&SE intake. Work is underway to assess biomarker levels in cohort studies. Dietary coding necessary to establish the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences on S&SE intake in childhood was completed. Sustainability modeling: Scoping work identified and selected S&SE and food products for an in-depth case study using LCA approaches. Attributive and consequential LCAs, as well as life-cycle costs, have been completed for thaumatin, steviol glycosides, aspartame, neotame, and sucralose.
Social LCAs have been completed for thaumatin, steviol glycosides, and sucralose. Innovation, exploitation, and dissemination: An impact plan has been developed and the initial gender action plan has been completed. A second phase of gender equality monitoring is underway. Media and social media analyses have been completed. A consumer-based typology of public and private utilities has been developed in both the United Kingdom and Spain. An online survey examining European stakeholder attitudes toward public and private utilities is being prepared for distribution.
The SWEET project is designed to i) identify and address barriers and facilitators to the use of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers (S&E) and ii) examine the risks and benefits of using S&E to replace sugar in the diet, in the context of health, obesity, safety, and sustainability. Our commercial partners have begun developing resources that will assist industry in selecting S&E for novel foods. The effect of various S&E on biological systems and body behavior will also be examined in a wide range of consumers. A large-scale trial will examine the benefits (and potential problems) of using S&E to replace sugar in the diet. Safety and overall health risks will be considered in all studies. In addition, existing data will be combined and examined to determine the benefits and risks of consuming S&E versus sugar. The environmental impact of using these novel S&E will also be assessed to ensure a sustainable approach. Consumer needs, preferences, and opinions will determine which E&E products might be used in the future and how. This will help policymakers, manufacturers, and health experts determine whether and how food and beverage systems can be used to improve the health of diverse consumer groups with different needs. This should contribute to reducing calories from sugar in the European diet, a critical step in addressing the problem of obesity and diet-related diseases across Europe.
The SWEET project has been designed to i) identify and address barriers and facilitators to the use of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers (S&SE) and ii) examine the risks and benefits of using S&SE to replace dietary sugar in the contexts of health, obesity, safety, and sustainability. Industry experts will integrate technological, health, and sweetness databases to provide a platform on which new and emerging S&SE can be selected for inclusion in food products. The behavioral and physiological impact of specific S&SE will be examined in acute and repeated dosing studies, and natural population differences (by age, region, gender, etc.) in sweetness perception will be established. A sensory profile will be developed, and genetic determinants will be assessed. The main randomized controlled trial will adopt a whole-diet approach to examine the impact of long-term sugar replacement on weight management, appetite, and energy intake. The underlying mechanistic effects of S&SE use, alone and in combination, will be assessed using the developed technology platform in acute studies. Outcomes related to safety and overall health risks will be i) measured in acute and chronic studies and ii) investigated in secondary data (long-term interventions, prospective cohorts). Preferences and perceptions of S&SE among European consumers, and barriers to their acceptance, consumption, and use, will be determined. The environmental cost and sustainability of replacing sugar with S&SE will also be modeled. Consumers will be engaged to inform the research design, and stakeholder-driven exploitation and impact plans will be developed to communicate and disseminate project objectives and outcomes to i) address the role of sweeteners in weight management for target audiences (consumers, healthcare professionals, scientists, policymakers, regulators) and ii) bring effective products to market. A gender action plan will be developed and implemented to promote equity in all research activities.
Our sugar consumption remains persistently high, far exceeding the level recommended by the World Health Organization. Can sweeteners help people switch to low-sugar alternatives? Given the contribution of dietary sugar to the development of obesity and cardiometabolic disease, the World Health Organization has recommended that free sugar intake should not exceed 10% of total energy intake. As Jo Harrold, one of the coordinators of the SWEET project, explains: “Artificial/natural/non-nutritive/low-calorie sweeteners, along with sweetness enhancers (S&E), provide an opportunity to eliminate calories in the form of sugar, while maintaining the consumer appeal and commercial viability of popular products.” Harrold, Dean of Psychology and Professor of Appetite and Obesity in the Department of Psychology at the University of Liverpool, was interested in identifying the risks and benefits of using alternative sweeteners. The project also wanted to establish what barriers prevent its use.
All are approved for human consumption, but S&SE are currently underutilized because, despite abundant safety data, some studies suggest a link to an increased risk of stroke and heart disease. Other research suggests they may have a negative impact on the gut microbiota, she says. Clinical studies and surveys to establish the impact of sugar alternatives The team employed a variety of protocols to study the effect of dietary supplements, including acute (1-day) and repeated (14-day) dosing studies focusing on individual foods to examine the impact of dietary supplements on glycemic response. They also considered eating behavior and blood chemistry. The trials were conducted in adults recruited in Denmark, France, Spain, and the UK. “The central focus of SWEET was the one-year randomized controlled trial (RCT), which investigated whether long-term use of dietary supplements as part of a healthy low-sugar diet could improve weight loss maintenance following rapid weight loss,” Harrold adds.
The RCT considered risk-benefit markers for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease compared with no dietary supplement use. To do so, the trial recruited overweight or obese adults and children from Denmark, Greece, Spain, and the Netherlands. The team also conducted an online survey of more than 11,000 consumers in most EU Member States to examine attitudes, perceptions, and behavioral intentions toward dietary supplements. Avoidance of dietary supplements is primarily driven by perceived health risks. Analyses indicated that consumers perceived benefits of sweeteners, such as weight loss, diabetes control, and oral health. Plant-based sweeteners were perceived more positively than artificially derived ones.
Sweetener avoidance is primarily driven by perceived health risks. "However," Harrold notes, "short- and medium-term controlled interventions demonstrated that sweeteners in beverages and semi-solid and solid sweet food matrices support a lower glycemic response, without any adverse impact on appetite, metabolism, or health markers, either acutely or after two weeks of repeated daily consumption." The long-term randomized clinical trial demonstrated not only that whole-diet sugar replacement with sweeteners improved long-term weight loss control, but also, and more importantly, that long-term sweetener use reduced cravings for sweets and did not increase the risk of type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. The team developed a decision-support tool intended to promote the development and responsible use of sweeteners in the industry, which will be accessible through an online interface on the SWEET project website. “We wanted to make the project interventions and results easier to understand and implement, as well as encourage the adoption of business opportunities. This includes summaries written for non-expert readers,” says Harrold.
SWEET will incorporate both existing and new S&SE into foods typically high in sugar. Databases will be developed to inform selection and examine safety aspects. The project also seeks to understand the effects of S&SE on the body's sensory and biological processes and how they may influence behavior. By analyzing individual food preferences and taste responses, the project will examine how S&SE interact to enhance enjoyment without stimulating overconsumption. A large-scale study will examine the long-term impact of a diet containing S&SE on appetite, food choice, and body weight, specifically whether and how they help consumers maintain a healthy weight. The project will also measure actual S&SE use using biomarkers in urine samples to validate it with self-reporting mechanisms. With this understanding, the project will examine the relationship between self-reported S&SE use and health outcomes from several large studies to better inform evidence-based guidelines and policies. Beyond health, adopting S&SE to replace sugar could have broader economic, social, and environmental impacts.
The project will anticipate these challenges by analyzing the life cycle of the specific S&SE selected for development. Throughout the project, consumer concerns and other barriers to innovation will guide our approach. This will ensure the development of products that consumers need and want, and that these meet all regulatory requirements. This will facilitate industry commitment to sugar substitution. Finally, the data obtained will be used to develop tools to help manufacturers select the best ingredients and obtain the products that consumers need and want. In terms of impact, SWEET establishes partnerships between public and private sector partners that will generate evidence on the potential use of S&SE to combat obesity, while improving food sustainability in the EU. It will also empower consumers by allowing them a greater number of potential and better-informed food choices to improve their diet. Regulators will also be better informed about the safety of new S&SE products and mixtures, including the long-term impact of their use on the diet. Individual differences in needs, responses, and preferences will allow products to be tailored to specific consumer needs. The project will help the industry responsibly develop consumer-acceptable food storage and distribution (S&D) systems to replace sugar in food.
This will be achieved by understanding the economic, social, and environmental consequences of these changes. Workshops will be held with stakeholders to address concerns, obstacles, and potential solutions, as well as to disseminate the results. The resulting stakeholder plan will ensure that the aforementioned impacts are realized through communication among consumers, patient representatives and advocates, nongovernmental organizations, ingredient manufacturers, food producers and retailers, health experts, regulators, and the media.
- THE UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL
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