There is a general consensus that overconsumption of sugar-sweetened beverages contributes to the prevalence of obesity and related comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes (T2D). Whether a similar relationship exists for no- or low-calorie “diet” drinks is a subject of intensive debate and controversy. Here, we demonstrate that consuming seven sucralose-sweetened beverages with, but not without, a carbohydrate over 10 days decreases insulin sensitivity in healthy human participants, an effect that correlates with reductions in midbrain, insular, and cingulate responses to sweet, but not sour, salty, or savory, taste as assessed with fMRI. Taste perception was unaltered and consuming the carbohydrate alone had no effect. These findings indicate that consumption of sucralose in the presence of a carbohydrate rapidly impairs glucose metabolism and results in longer-term decreases in brain, but not perceptual sensitivity to sweet taste, suggesting dysregulation of gut-brain control of glucose metabolism.

普遍的共识是，过度消费含糖饮料会导致肥胖和相关合并症（如 2 型糖尿病 (T2D)）的流行。无热量或低热量“减肥”饮料是否存在类似的关系是一个激烈争论和争议的主题。在这里，我们证明，在 10 天内饮用含（但并非不含）碳水化合物的 7 种含三氯蔗糖的饮料会降低健康人类参与者的胰岛素敏感性，这种影响与中脑、岛叶和扣带回对甜味而非酸味的反应减少有关。用 fMRI 评估的咸味或咸味。味觉没有改变，单独食用碳水化合物没有影响。