The Effect of Natural Sweeteners on Atherogenic Risk Index in Sprague-Dawley Rats.

Abstract

Background: Human preferences for sweet taste in what they eat is responsible for the increased production and consumption of sweeteners. Excessive consumption of natural sweeteners including honey, white granulated sugar, brown sugar and stevia have been linked to a number of atherogenic risk factors, including obesity, diabetes, and abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels, although the evidence remains unclear. Subjective evidence suggests some sweeteners are healthier than others, whereas other policies imply all sweeteners have similar impact on the body. Without comparing how different sweeteners affect various health outcomes, previous studies grouped all sweeteners together. Many studies frequently use the traditional lipid measurements in clinical investigations without considering lipid ratio formulas in forecasting atherogenic risks. Therefore, scientific evidence supporting claims regarding the impact of these natural sweeteners on several indices of atherosclerosis are inconclusive. Aim: To determine the effect of sweeteners on atherogenic risk index in Sprague-Dawley rats. Method: This research employed an experimental design and included seventy-eight (78) Sprague Dawley rats aged 10-13 weeks weighing 150-200 g. Rats were randomized into 13 groups: 6 rats per group. Three nutritive sweeteners (white sugar, brown sugar, honey) and one non-nutritive sweetener (stevia) were used. Doses for each sweetener were categorized into low, medium and high dose. Sweeteners were administered by oral gavage for 112 days. Water was provided ad libitum. Rat chow diet for each experimental group was weighed before and after feeding. The following were determined; fasting plasma glucose (FPG), serum lipids (total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglyceride), body weight, length and BMI. Descriptive statistics were run for continuous variables and a 2-way ANOVA was conducted to compare means across groups. A Linear mixed model was used to evaluate the effect of the sweeteners over time on body weight and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). Results: Honey, brown sugar and stevia were found to cause an increase in triglycerides after the seventeen weeks period with a corresponding reduction in LDL-C and VLDL-C concentrations. The increase was observed in high doses than in low doses of sweeteners. Also, medium doses of stevia elevated glucose levels. Additionally, high doses of white, honey, and stevia increased weight after the seventeen weeks period. Further, doses of honey and stevia increased the atherogenic index of plasma after the seventeen weeks period, indicating an increased risk of atherosclerosis. Conclusion: This study highlighted that, stevia irrespective of the dosage has tendencies of inducing a higher atherogenic risk than the other natural sweeteners by increasing triglyceride levels, bodyweight and fasting plasma glucose, thus, may not be a better sugar alternative. However, high intake of all the natural sweeteners may exert different effects on metabolism, which may ultimately determine their suitability for different people due to differences in their constituent sugars and nutrients. Therefore, natural sweeteners should be taken with caution by avoiding excessive consumption.