Sucrose/Stevia Cola Blend Lowers Blood Sugar and Boosts Satiety Peptide Pancreatic Polypeptide | Research

The takeaway

A sucrose/stevia-sweetened cola produced a glucose-lowering effect at 60 minutes and sustained pancreatic polypeptide increase, while artificial sweetener (aspartame/acesulfame K) had no effect on hormones.

-12.5 mg/dL glucose
Sucrose/stevia cola produced a glucose-lowering effect at 60 minutes while stimulating the satiety peptide pancreatic polypeptide

What the researchers found

SUC/STE beverage produced glucose-lowering (-12.5 mg/dL at 60 min, p<0.05) and sustained PP increase (+73.4 pg/mL at 120 min, p<0.05). AAK showed no significant hormonal effects vs control.

Why it matters

Understanding how different sweeteners affect gut peptide hormones informs dietary recommendations and beverage formulation for metabolic health.

How the study worked

Randomized crossover trial in 20 adults with 4 beverages (carbonated water, aspartame/acesulfame K, sucrose/stevia, sucrose), 7-day washouts, measuring glucose, insulin, glucagon, GIP, PP, leptin, and ghrelin at 0-120 min.

What this study cannot tell us

Small sample (n=20). Acute effects only. Cannot determine if stevia or the reduced sugar content drove the effects. PP increase mechanism unclear.

How to read the evidence

Small randomized crossover trial with appropriate washout periods. Acute effects need confirmation in larger, longer studies.

When this study was published

Published in 2025.

The bigger picture

This adds nuance to the sweetener debate: stevia may have metabolic benefits beyond calorie reduction, potentially through direct effects on enteroendocrine cells.

Questions still open

Does stevia directly stimulate enteroendocrine PP-releasing cells?
Would chronic SUC/STE consumption maintain the glucose-lowering effect?
Could stevia-containing beverages improve glycemic control in diabetic patients?

Common questions

Does stevia affect gut hormones?

This study found that a stevia-blended cola uniquely stimulated pancreatic polypeptide (a satiety hormone) and lowered blood sugar, effects not seen with artificial sweeteners or plain water.

Are artificially sweetened drinks metabolically neutral?

In this study, the aspartame/acesulfame K drink had no measurable effect on glucose, insulin, or gut hormones — essentially behaving like plain water in terms of metabolic response.

Read the original research

Enteroendocrine hormonal response after the ingestion of cola beverages with sucrose and non-nutritive sweeteners in healthy adults: A randomized crossover trial.

Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), 141, 112938

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Galicia-Ayala, César; Klünder-Klünder, Miguel; Vilchis-Ordoñez, Armando; López-Martínez, Briceida; Miranda-Lora, América L. (2026). Enteroendocrine hormonal response after the ingestion of cola beverages with sucrose and non-nutritive sweeteners in healthy adults: A randomized crossover trial.. Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.), 141, 112938. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2025.112938