Journal of International Society for Food Bioactives Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods Review J. Food Bioact. 2018;4:107–116 The effects of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers on obesity and diabetes: a review Yanli Jiao and Yu Wang* Citrus Research and Education Center, Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Florida, 700 Experiment Station Road, Lake Alfred, FL 33850, USA *Corresponding author: Yu Wang, Citrus Research and Education Center, Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Florida, 700 Experiment Station Road, Lake Alfred, FL 33850, USA. E-mail:
[email protected] DOI: 10.31665/JFB.2018.4166 Received: December 18, 2018; Revised received & accepted: December 23, 2018 Citation: Jiao, Y., and Wang, Y. (2018). The effects of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers on obesity and diabetes: a review. J. Food Bioact. 4: 107–116. Abstract Sweet taste, one of the five basic taste qualities, is not only important for evaluation of food quality, but also guides the dietary food choices of animals. Sweet taste involves a variety of chemical compounds and struc- tures, including natural sugars, sugar alcohols, natural and artificial sweeteners, and sweet-tasting proteins. The preference for sweetness has induced the over-consumption of sugar, contributing to certain prevailing health problems, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Non-nutritive sweeteners, including natural and synthetic sweeteners, and sweet-tasting proteins have been added to foods to reduce the caloric intake from sugar, but many of these sugar substitutes induce an off-taste or after taste that negatively impacts any pleasure derived from the sweet taste. Sweet taste is detected by sweet taste receptor, that also play an important role in the metabolic regulation of the body, such as glucose homeostasis and incretin hormone secretion.