A new study lasted six months. It asked whether eating more or fewer sweet foods changes how much people like sweet flavors.
What the Researchers Did
Scientists from the Netherlands and the United Kingdom invited 180 volunteers. They split them into three groups:
- One group ate lots of sweet‑tasting foods.
- One group ate very few sweet foods.
- The third group ate a normal amount of sweet foods.
The sweetness came from sugar, natural fruit sugars, and low‑calorie sweeteners. This matters because a sweet taste does not always mean the food is unhealthy.
What They Measured
Every month the participants answered questions about how much they liked sweet foods. The researchers also took weight measurements and collected blood and urine samples. These samples were checked for signs that predict diabetes or heart problems.
What They Found
After six months there were no big differences between the three groups.
- People who ate more sweet foods did not become sweeter‑loving.
- People who ate fewer sweet foods did not lose their love for sweetness.
- Weight, blood sugar, and heart‑health markers stayed about the same.
When the study ended, many participants went back to their old eating habits.
What This Means
The researchers say that telling the public to eat less sweet‑tasting food may not help with weight or health. Instead, they suggest focusing on how much sugar and how many calories a food contains.
"It’s not about cutting sweet taste," said Professor Appleton. "The real issue is sugar and energy‑dense foods. Some foods that don’t taste sweet still have a lot of sugar, and many naturally sweet foods like fruit are good for you. Public advice should aim at reducing sugar and high‑calorie items, not just sweet flavors."
In short, simply changing the amount of sweet taste in the diet does not seem to change preferences or improve heart‑disease and diabetes risk over a six‑month period.