Assessments of Metabolic Responses to Acute Oral Administration of Sucrose, Glucose, and Fructose

Sugar should not be defined by origin (added sugar, free sugar, simple sugar) but rather by chemical structure (sucrose, glucose, fructose, etc.). Although the disaccharide sucrose is hydrolysed by sucrase into its monosaccharides glucose and fructose, the administration of each of the three sweeteners alone results in different metabolic effects. Although sucrose, glucose, and fructose are long known sweeteners in food and beverages and their metabolic effects have been extensively studied, there are still no comprehensive studies comparing the three sweeteners in a whole range of parameters. The main inconsistency in the literature is the study design which influences the outcomes. It is important to differentiate whether it is an acute or chronic study, whether the participants are adults or children, are healthy or have T2DM, have normal weight, overweight or obesity, whether the dosage is chosen to be isocaloric or isosweet, whether there is a control group or whether the sweeteners are administered orally or intragastrical.