Skip to main navigation Skip to main content
  • KSCN
  • E-Submission

CNR : Clinical Nutrition Research

OPEN ACCESS
ABOUT
BROWSE ARTICLES
EDITORIAL POLICIES
FOR CONTRIBUTORS

Articles

Review Article

Effects of Natural Alternative Sweeteners on Metabolic Diseases

Clinical Nutrition Research 2023;12(3):229-243.
Published online: July 26, 2023

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.JFIFddDuckydqhttp://ns.adobe.com/xap/1.0/ Adobed     ! 1AQa"q 2#w8B36v7XRr$9bCt%u&Ws'(xy4T5fH  !1AQaq"2B Rbr#u67Ѳ3sTt5v8Sc$4ĂCÔ%UӅFV ?_Aנj- H>>,m*>fzp"TrKkr^r.|_&]|*vPuܶvoQ1mwVJUhu-I"=LniAƕ8"۲ k*ҿ[yu:.vUQ+)%F DHyVBk>Hy8jݹ q~9D4KRmzQ)^ʔ.J%k_tVi5NTjg!'ky|5asOȻ)R۸ߩFMԿ3L4j6dڜ#NIwUF]JqB/(FafJRzq3\G՛ ?~\ 6)6W4m[O^L0E&rRMض*C .]Unl-1 1r#Rj/&QɈ׉˩s6Rj=5Tg.y.·Pӡ:JJS:C8-2u]d&vUz;7p9 5VnL֢"y)">iי(IDDd| Yj0; LRfS:ktYK%*N2^m|&dğth":ey)uPQZW)gcC3Pv&MMWd&Ŵ۲mvTRoժM03*F3Yd6\8,\hݻ kߔi<k NTwSԪmljj[>->ptU%'LR>&EBH$MQAUx[$Z6vi&_a.KIQ{hyƒ j"JOC9eFҝfj;˚Ω<[3_m% lQ@4g=5$(J]Yc-OMq<Ǎ wSzڗ)k$7VIP붾ͯnV+卵*t]iЎD31~SA1éC2u)ʼnQn-Uoi3:grI8ؓWm*G zܕ)ZקJ}Y YlGeJ6cB2I NS3Q>k=KTBT]W6+SOXQgGR? telˊ%-Re\hѯ2TF"C/OJΩ6r[N.0{SpljjX1“jOsӥ;ҭhe}xu`Ք&.)yO̒ Fߑ.$Qw;9Iw2o+RVJMSOj[SoҌZ%;`d$blQ{Ro{Imڌ>3egf\O֝Uzx"䢸g+mv%Gʆ:|V[N'&ס-ޝ'kfE|K,G&˳98Juin/\\Qݿ̋v~Ǩ!rtWU d|E߫R4d}.qPw*Ӭv5YEcn~f5c%MTMkb-F>5JT,})QHg%{("ӔȸWMsYyWNRrkkJr0XドnͫT}r-jj,Ŕʍ\Q2Ri>v$5!]"JB2WɅ)]VԜUc8i|.jeRO6^V.¸ Q&#|ܶ-*uOG%JAtRZRr]FFG\۩w+?'zչSѧt jz>KW&ot{7P&2D;&\\>Q2JzܗAKSfeNn[jRrԕf6,q,F1tRfԗ>vֶևj-&R'Zi2=xv~Elbsvm8=ӛ"ū񕜈BȩlWau[]ٷBߨF~J!|Ipr3R̴#Yp)={7:G{+:\W}n|Q#%)7^-h"Ƒq:M*%J&$T軨I333׎g_- ucBwwjp[6i25$̏bU’ٱRv?G\~#Iͪb7<<}Ezt" q_Inw,7-d,G÷%T* Wg1"䥱kq/A.,_KhqŒxwvo u2ۥۧ.bQ}XκA$֣ +K״ZUNmڸII{.v{5z5ѮRme[moyƾd~cRݾK'j.\i&/S6f|b=5: p!6i_ 4j6=.si˧eƾtS^c.Y^RJVS-Vi3,esi08?H$GvZgg?gi䤟2adw릿:"۪lkSN>q-4kI܋ێe̊qۅgDoѨ9; #T.Q;7#~_Ufstb_'w~Xw1Xk,vcOt._}v}8"(4Z\ۘgk?J?bm_c!g{HZV]Fkk%~gEt)b秴vΰB|꽸}mp~E6ݹv;7P٤v+ri*3Ԣ|'O14_~7nP{7ZU\Vű[ +7󖱅o#:ǥŬ\|3r%TJX]V7ez¨Y]lc|O3V! R zbJ'PnGqVJ"19WVeOF埜EaEJωqCN5Z g-9[S<$sUK5b|7sn\7x qmv##FF\ w[=-43$^ooVSiXօv7iB۴yg>]Vf"r$J3""32!Zh[K%7GvNLs+4nB/B{vlsobJaҺJR:0g%&zR\ S3T[&ִor*ⷳc3ʊO[iozW٨%$gn:ܶWwFBԹjHP&z u&F2\f;ipW73 [; '_̽b;vib!oec dC-tS__$Xs]l9&z$2/N>%'[}b{h/{`{Ji׉׏ YJB/X%}.|+{(S:qz]4_Kѵo`^tY_4S#* ^zvݾMr+TrkQ g.8Ͽ^i>ӈǙvix>$o( ^qt*&t1oJVu-ql5U6jCЉmĻ*"?JT=K'O/|=Vo}l0b}}f?X[?/\JSBe,kP8ETJ==?.p5ފgbU9}ǶdNKk—_$8̸͓ۍ8Di\BԿ-1v{FF]|.^ۅ{vl12׏z7-R7wE?\nh\jN/Kձr_oBw"N QMBZqe-m:ӨSn6j4%!hQ;sv'm4kcM=!8\m[M4{SMliۇ%eֽR&N:{2A8)THLK3Zj[jPBx#BگMf:G1\`edcʮ?|w(-̮vXt,bW2;.ιNHRR#YwTM"<;mk\.foIDjmlJ;vxy7o7i\,KQŊ9d^Mmgc L*.T6tLeIuOH3SJQ3=F/ʿ<9\JM6mN6=<{xkP!F1QR[I$6ُimXu2An2yԒMU q f[IB-'䤯jYm52&JG\zд\~vdg QtHGXw&1Lw+nDEdC1w|YJmvP)HZ>i0BPβә?R:QO["]I_Jʏۍ>QKyu^bycBq4lXF~l [\*N>-J6,Gq(Zr5h]CwYӤU~ʶߑ u*SIv%ZfJ7)! FS*s_\|IŸZ)J ]ܜi4"z[+Z,MOZ))}|Ʀ(RUNIII.S'ˍO~˨rn}M)xxӕ0 eyҵ7YMAB]ӣU:/ѭ*6bcwP͵ "+qēVjŹO|GtY4V j[mLV M -m>",B$ GD1~j6O4|LxnNmqATNR3ε|DŽa[fmn-ڭ+FiK7Pcm;r5 l8r{#-]'nrFh2ruycb;pW=njRqRJ(d mnpckNnʹ+6]tz~E=ʕ l ZZ5jSi3#47.Lcfe`9؏v囜.F\-UZ:*0_<Νu9Lӵm&)_3\^ҹ3"1n1v_|uRʞͫr'iȧN_kH׺8xXrj=\МH)V\ˬ.Xʸ oVRC}ySU9/OBY먌5 ٿwޞ)rw8Ӫi5*5ZΗcGƱ !ZۄlmpjJ -l <R̵/JAպZuq\IdUS 48wXJJtcg4cI~aqߓwŷrm-v)G7yS^7H^-\mŌAq|"m9IBnF㏉9[N+mmy/!KKۉ%n +BdddfFF6FQRN-U5;Sv'm4kcM=Mn)\qιqUd9F%",6MGdT%-+~ f%+y֛^3SrF>6lc(֪vۊN;g._0Sѧ]ETWرkQKzGe9ʨsKA"yC y2\[5 rԭ7Gk5Mzw_4sM3hxЊ'oÍ5jsub )ͪ~tR2H]R͍>̋m6=%(˿(Wrr-܅y5(ܔJ޺YunW̹븹NsqK ]/QR#"ZMDfD|43Qw|._ԡSqTZBg??O Ϥ)/E_U|i}2 9Z?¹0:x'3,whǣ?C y-A~=daJј&M?D1_PS+Oi&;a @;Dž7[ zZC"bv:jjMQk$M RԸ3uA\=wI.AwC"^.{?-\NSiˏ"b}T/}q/ o.1M}R%:-ZniʒL$SgrBW*,Mw'N\ɇ{s\j]VryG'8f`}'N<*/`U숻z CwHq18J+vԕKss4R53/&XTt1bZƟo\=%nO)h$rBi-nKĪ^ ջڜlwkYm[̑+/QrZo%TQ;TLs($2C:s.%+eoNttq۰kK7O0m_t_pZ1SsSM7"mevFZ[w -FJ*T*jФQRg BSu|]g:ɵzjqwmltL.e3sRMچkSmjkmWœިm++¦'tILk*բQ D,PB\lI[9{%Gb R6öۍmX-MaʉA931cs..G4CujQտ[9 }G-xwl)IQz j Ó"rqe&=]꾧֎c)<kӳ+0JrRR3'TnXi^xMF Bު*tIL.[h"2"nKzZe'ZV/RrNYz]8죝n]Ķܩ>^Ժ]u-7^\mZjܣ9+Rmn ߑv?oꋘ?&ƪy^N4o=3-ؔ̿*`}V݁ ƒPu8%$ ݗ]wt;\y\>='OjPIp/nJU8{϶FNMsf"ίNqƹ(+ ݮF2Km |jܴZs%zf*eȫ?]4)I۵nR&FX + [jDh(#哑9q9Eծj8noǕZf\J-l&Z˫}`ӎhyrΉn\űn]9pʌӣ"׮Wt?N4_I_~54#/my1Xr*척aS#DT >q ssΛW;3oUaJSRMDgQnt:Ql,/ ܷfRqiM Ȼ>Cob;A>ڦWقM9X~/!'MW.}Vrߔꔵ!5|iB(0-zF=}okڢE$^wW~nokY߮\6՜̌{i-AF*9)\t9IV6۸5ZUF6R$ŨQIq砳YUZ]eyv >hI櫥N )&l JulwE1GDOuFN2| }馥uC1rޫV+^gdb&W[4<^e4YW,d|htͮsUM)۸8:{3d{AѢ)~ \#J=NdƮꮓ90 |1K$v*?мS ]i$J,C,SG?/_՜pMSƯM|mG1V1$~K>CSvkuj=&) -,yLjuFHK{c駗.SOua;BrSqj-ۍZ#'Jys7[g2z/.u4+XV2VQ.ޕ)$"(%)#Z7suZ%j }BǬݕe)Jvz8zJf:hIN|svO1O#IEcۍjݽ:SdὮvu^@:o^5cs>i/VqmVm]ؔܢn6'vޑ̗J4Wn@OlKbX ;n:hgJ9ŻyǑz8f܌q&Y fN0N;[69 rbׅC2/#kE l&2~èMR.*%g=Ft.%؝e8<.e=Uv{~㻏"EˑnvDѭ͜Lu3u0:U֝$[M5<:oi+V4V9 6nXvx&_ q Qqw3W:uϔ2yb/(ɳ|5zQiJ#r|Hw#.W?4aDŲ\ugWG;Cw鐢K|xg)##=O.dF˟jMUvWĻsr.z]kPc9"]R)mkfOd*uYf١RsB Aîh=k]ʳUrrZsq`d#r$/Ը3o^&lRWȍyuW̦Y4QDUMJ65ƒ[+ygk XK_±k#y:8(TJOSQhJt2.DR}"5[) r)6V6u5k:eXZmv𭤔!푊Q[qQ}ҹLE- 8qIZG|UM4j}Mܕ[Vwm{} Naqµ"ԈM zOpKѰ?IAD3Ir0'/q1itoB5{%wkOBn-ۜduqIzYK60{+DʕܞqIt";r1mG/\/ym[6JƫR \L=S=OT@Ix[TMm{>ݾտ֒ݸӉLYIx>+"JVNzx||5rI?C{oz8۹e\R-^\A2F R+N9 vlT]"ۭ d)t֞i #E2jB@׵=#/N+!ĕhx}I!cM`ąZ*ŻɄҒ߮Y.Z}='/oۙ3IpW̮hT7cTSuz9>B}΄&h!>lӵn~j˅IvU.'v'CSZw8QK3G> ,J59ٷ+HSg䧎hJdzvwv-cvxS5[̊n~ؿ%ַX?O0\6ne 6kn9.ϯ} *h 8_QhLݣ7q +=XBҲ5?[[)+F`=4 }B,sNg==u*Nj9k_GJ)+R~GSPBȒZ:(K]heL=vKPӢwq(NrG^ثϣ?#tC?.ͼ[ۅo؞y#%ǛjVyLSw%T*s92JTM%"YkQО.q)gCͲn8cgi6j1MѾ[{9h^vƘǚםidfi.^RHmg&rׇz:}݃}xT$ضk'5s-狶,\vpbPD،=Okf.c#cdz2FK5T!&)|ntD<+OŹU i-G[EE*FDfeaf2QƤM\UG_{ǹm%\yrGy:.\4wjPGUJޕUV7Do\7Vy_13w;[?c]H\$IJ,*L]3b%L{y.JRKG2sq,B6T}(#nW|km+q5] r㪍bJ@y{byz,b踊3ϻJ,'^xd،)JVw#.Vټc''ÝպWtbRؒJz۠8!o9IۄS95E9ؔ-e9JR{dmnッ<[~n${~Њ$W?&ՐY_? #a.ߑv?oꋘ?&ơ|y^N4o=3t=~7!/M3>n8W홎2M`Qx+ z qy8%]7_~540ۦ彷]Wq CѡwkďyF5Dum_}~P(5.(X,K9vᯐ?leB9;Jhm#3{CxGE-S{;@Fz˙]=O'!ɿ]' r`:7'2bЖ>Iy,/eTy/V<.H?UYY{\^#ѣr9^7?xoRȆ7EoS_&??zϾM?(~Q-K&>"~aߨ t7Emsϛ+?;fCr)fY+>z$tIkjn_>vnrֳki-˹l= t;'EyC¥|/BLwBJdgjۛ$s S1|ɍV%JI6KvəhzIlBYɒ|0"Sy0F>eo5W)O+X˻u';v)2vVq۳kۮws?UʑBǴYO漪e2MIjPAک\b1)DDؚKm6ZWΨgȕ۶yjڳ 2ضN[C[|r@9Jfo<_eI7q.|cÊV߷:i.:$ȋ)1%%)ADZCEBxJ0MJۥy(bNsKM9k43IwNt.\%N簤I'.j|ƃ2$grBEٌ\}9:v*!n7M(ɽ]7c@XxƱԨ37īf62cTTfFK]9wntQHͮvٱI/f|j=7}\_V5U^+:uljSȃY(XI.ȱmo1甅jڎIZ2>#\*:gY|4k\8ZwSqtyA!+];бޞKծË¥e)#5ap.QK^8VdU{*ѽL\=qmjnB5>{ Ӟ`v±5 ^k&O~Oshɷ,;6nOW>u6{RqS`)S%jp\ipdEBLfTWy$GIYw~䲭J.1vSY5z.V>^+Ǎvc.I[R{QsNR3ӎfhd>y?UJ*}~[e\i5U^͛E]G_FS(Iɿ]i8:4zj~շsW,ˆsy:%O}iur]iF5~3M:Ӟ#N06)4ߧgdawIotiz:1r5YDZLHBSi;NQc44la=Y kQIT*ըl:tq2(է9VO4뒳܂~2rq'nrVZŦ[t7\oլfb/mlpc.I8콚q^1iE~䰳mi[dۧw֤ICfdFeCsg:i| 6擣׋* 96lust^{%99UNRvaMܽo ammi$em4D6DD\nA%$$#}۷/ݕr99JMն[oT޲E"KTaP+HGkŴj5TM5xƱOS-k`ۛkٝWz;{kS}F;~q|~^_|euwnE'pSupUP)V]vE+t =ZRaVdG6= *.ϼnj9:UɷbېmF_tޫgHjVS'śǕًdkkѻ_]Kv?nT>)^e=Ar1'3ԔILyD?:-^in):{7.؂\.:V }#뺾.3r̸*xbFM aȵz 6SQ:ײj[ 8nn iFMw rR"5M5I旘35f^j='j:nNW.ʭocZvZKV^ɚJ.cM1ZI7E'6rg탸5oZ=[m Z`\hbMUR١Ȗĉ):Jin!_7Dй+f̷eKҷvͨBPR(V`y6tw*MRΝcB.ڭTnc;P$8nFvm4(D(R#R-L -2:FP lxZKQc6I("Km%$E, 78uXIFA$RQI$JbInG]c[ֹ:ZM+n^')JmJMJRu{e)7jQDw~%yQl}BZujSSf۩QZ+Dzhd5o%BIc'GZ?}΍:>Ɵivז-%݌J5MqGWTVʦh݇ܟ~Օ_6 n'{3~mϬj'J11OȻn߃r Qr\3y٘+WӍ'WxEs^O3 o~[|7>]]H9݇ZomT@]?5B:Z߂'`V_+/MSKX߆ޠk3?o7y:4R/7þ] iG߬aBRU&?r&/} cQߥGj2?C5Yśe7hU=?+ x龳f-܈czW^7p%-(\D4h{UK&ӡn^m]Fݢ:`δvj俜F+) y[{{ 7 tu>gvrěOj'5 iRg[ͶFjGe n~qT$ci ۚ0oԹc*jL[sVWqj\ݻ&6"WoK:cnWmrv)o>66(F>=W^bf#c zzʞtپy%mՉPël e}J.\Zk4ttt>oEM=q)hJjI=ͥ(%]脼_88ф;͛gWG;Cw~˘$4=uWdĜTثNDkiQL9U*O"4XP`02,Ge-k5$h>ܼ]3vr6!9RQPIVSnM(ۓ{>;/Qͱv{3&-[rc)ܚI$n{Sv3[j00)-D3z}MRzVQпj,T[uVs0\}Sid;r(ݝJ>æʺL&c[jPK0~d(FKÝW\m]GTcF|Iׁ)I3~#oX%vҦEݑؼ5Żv2qAZTE^..M{ʐfȏ2##.R}*KʛZz^ӞN*lPťLf\G6[WVQquV]XAi)5J!,$iJ6o$tPZc;Kjx_n3`qIelV~vLy{fn匋Ѿn%;zV.n'-ұdd2߽1bZksPe3TI9)$ԩIN9Vơ\=2885N\ p)/a柛w9g_lױo8ݷ iixJV& ғRi{N^_oAŮE6Y7I$Nk$|Q)-*4Z)^¸%4Qm [I%.c-OV+C֧R#%ѨCe3i;w$G+_dy| Fzj$DI(=OA gj%v/]8qԯNIS*֩',Q%\44ZZ%D|Ǧʴ6&vֵI$%8(ԬƾS&#Z. }6z?b/|Jl{ץv&mpx4Z$”ڝ4-H%dGKfM:sKSRWeJAn]>s6应-W9'H]'uȫYvgK^\czp|My\鏩w/ËQ.)]\QiS`8uL뚛̸=J"ܻi\å'-)54Ue]:K\퓡vK xwBqrH\*֕TnzC.mT=t-H]SČ~Nu╏NÅ3f|͡G~B+Xm[Q7U{9"~jgK Zoʰ7"qJ,ekSeNGgϳ] ^.6:s}_,%eRg<5⿨z{ZPun#jRІ.6g T.!]xa c#jN$Zpl̋H WZu8WmMRýsĮ?Mco~sx TU҆Q :KDG4n42.<3/'^?6/ܠڒ^yrrÿr2\D}}B]^E~^T cɛ7϶Y[<֞[7d}2%QPqOLEQR\CIsj1?\}%tJ0e~ *sk"*)&ۓEi#{1J8Hrt|'ܝRr8)=ƔN'RVz:cf]F7bZyZUȘ4x8,#JG̒?.W9XnO]KO]%]ƻ O5Γ/3qÓj؍/r̺rƵ 5\&m6h.xoeX[=<3%< lZ"2h\Z[&jW3ejm?k&[]ųj+{N{66leu_+lj]q* 7g*knأYv= q ەdxЬZ|%GUrQ3jLŒqET]1% qkXYūYc[7Ś]QY\jko\</Lc7+'hMSUc6qXyؙ~6#ѯv.0$BQi5YyIhɍiy=KD!n3Vm[V%W-B%swa97ajۗ m+9~]fKq|Ddaˑ0A]_v޺mM5* F-BYHJ5}q>ʉ.6hyDmpD׬'-_v5;5[8K[viJ.3dR:oYHHh9I7:۽fi+wm^ [)odPѱ52CZUJicSw\&_s0uBȍh32džzQflcd^m|7GѹE!fO5]]H9݇ZomT@]?5B:Z߂'`V_+/MSKX߆ޠk3?o7y:4R/7þ] iG߬aBRU&?r&/} cQߥGj2?C5Yśe7hU=?+ x龳f-܈czW^7p%5|Y:SJE\U-(a_cƣUǽXXKiȞNlmۊڭڄR!**ܤMeȽ$|X5(Ź\rJ~ܮ]>'HB0cp XFr_c?f?7<ukSgov¥iG>>䙗i.+t+bOjIܶ . i^:nm}s}(3>NZ$2Qg([".>i.ƾ)B̋M8+"- >eE6DݥJnJˣt׻ 5.˅nJGwZD~!i۶a,Db3ZQ3O#KO5/֍ozuK'GbRi᝘NV_ҝcvם ZoX}F6z 7e5_e:ۓj=AB+iܔERadMBq*ԯ DwI/Gy*mĥiRKg6skY/#SN4e$-yXM YL?^ĸNNӪ{$r1JJRSLO]Aqm>V/s[~i/j+m>z}eI"Qvp]{ZԼ:{vPAG2=T͡@ڐ#u"E*>C;o$~C#_d/HBq^YRٽzIKbOm\~żjFFGdiQ(*/i*#.FF]©m=BmpQQQSP&Ҫ!T&^>:y)$ˑÐFčI Bӡ-t!bM WҦŶ'UZ=}zvn~oT/\ǒ'nr8 AJIӆz<^uߖ4eFC1i+v!3qNyߕni?4JZlmYFXFۼO0B\m[ tʄU3s"Sr(NJ;SKW72L4̏BVdf^Ҹj\]ȱ۪(ӷm?J-KEmWڽ^4<8qu%9pŹW~877ܾeVгS(յe^C]yX͹! םm4FGȋ\y'Z FX7e)|Gjt߹#gb\ŧq_([R8[qU$Z (ʻezV2V!iQ,i$JE˂٩ a(GK'O{vnBvryRd-RK4=qxZJMl_CuuIz @Rt㮽޳!|68\-l[џ84-2Pu" RJ_^OL>G1~XnBŬw6J0*Uvlږ1N G1q9IUm*'oWu][&UyYZbBZRZNfEJf"+2nF~Eû7n1xv.RUM$6 lAxSQJ&n5ܞwlEói"#>4׿Q.nEq7Oko[1wg8ZQwZYiqtm&~">Bo?w͡ni2峋NCEy Ҕ+%ZJ ʩq*fpˤl,~^Mχk1+:ݕ z&Y`KLӪУDr3[*Z :(SL&ݻ۬Vqsyԭs x|iI߽zZrg.:mp%6ԜvgmpIUt;QbS.Է) ǨKSV,*lڌ|5Jt3#NP.=+OZ~/G سIgbꥹJnl_DUM\iM!֔wVZuԺ,yV.Q>f v:݇WiaŸN5Ҕ[M7SsrvǣrMW= \8ZW-jsnڕ.ZnF2qt ً[ٻޘY۷Zm"Jxr&NAfA-݌to9s359݆mZ+N1-qS$D=17 x׵+%_ ve4ir6Z$FDڗnFtOr'7'{9C˨ꤡaYoace{Refnft RR"4%ʌm:Sj3)OdInTO>X'vxV#jܮw9Fog;5.~Y5\~18YQܹvj4+~t7S ﬕs %^۵ڴDZV69R^Y+rj$ԇoJKR5wB9C>Y:l+EǎS{ʲ{T6Wi* ^^9k/y/Cs\g*qڵgn4T8mERr|Ti+iPe;;.i\EBEJ 丬i9ɧM-ԼsGDrZ>r#R>~X9y4b棇9JwV۔%m(b[Tjvl}۩~nDԺ{Zo-YuK1vx.nWuO+jN [ٮ0%"΢CdTJK-RަH"$I(*ve &҉FzB,_Vpqp9m8werv')E;o&QE׵^d9˦j\_,ڵugZȻ̧8k+jK{wmr@3ӭ2 wFkzFVqs1؛.v'I%$[iT]D5Dl2 nk7qUxԫLS+sا3/ΖeZYK<["%-g/kRs:f3;*E ت wJ%)5&+&rw*霣i|sMҴ|;R+fm䡩.!**dӶ-6s6,]zAXMWjmnz%SJߴm2UXw7MQ%<!tKys#P,W>s;3IYwx<+i_\\\U6 u7P|xbn_k&ӓVOe䦒 VUr,-㘘"-LZeOSҠթrEvq8Kf%5%&K"#%vD/.ZYYŏ+p$nZkvއuW9㓱Z G wYIFyf)?ƎUm5ԉ/'k84{KO:rQI}XRuԪ|*lu)3qZ[mSm5R3".Xcَ5c®ࢫI*۳~wRϿQWޝ(EJrri&ۥ^ʶ齲Im|[yb;mnm֩uiܘq>E+Ikx߄3r33-5𹻖09ϖ9[Tz~mr5NsWl$oPusޛ^{Z;);sڹf\3oٹZmԉ/'k84{NO:rQIBø8Bݱ3n֤DiK4u& ofSȒܩx<˘|N0Fչ]qsp"}! QWw@t4ӭ+cO5%]'*{eM߲DRO1y*q8w++e!c߶ܪlZWّM欼 CQ̼빶lX{vib/V/ ai;x6~]+z]MWB>re-:lgk}պ!#9?%܋V-c[z!W?c7YNm/jRr[HOzԻefճ0q15Zp#rkQQ0tU-AmڵP/cȕ?0cZYj;:0ZM=D6g ?'UN+ձ[K ܖB2'xq9{|۫N0ku 7xaj;n\ 2[VznMlWiKbSk))f..)Km)&bGZ=>OR܍W:j'rM'wYz&/鶧{Sʵb"vջq[I-ՌZH._x*BagC'T(Q:$ͳQcMCKy?3g'ߝqnT);qs #ؤZ}OOI:cfnc8W~qy.;^pVl]Hԓ>^H^@7-AA܃nmL(uWܻS߿ Td95Bdh4t6*dDh!EhI[iŨ\L.&Nc ܮf^;$R)\rip9I|ٺ?#R.ZDZ;/]nݻqs\QE9M&Bd ]N mN*D>tgbK>+ˏ.!23]BȔR1ɝ^j'k2ƮqBQq[$di]icV/e`޵B.FIIJqbi>Ӥ|p; 6${)RU>_e}^dzdfzi %ekRVUS?6'hׂ)5.\+qUgzE2C˷ecŏ^֔ibk shesFWJ#~> Wk~ݨ}ڶ>ơǚ)׽ZƉo~B-ڼrvoE:Ʃ3ۣK7+Y`WirS):{>ڛ}:wԨ(J_";6R%[u&ƫdZ_\'np| RJwNeTW,=rrbnkڄ[M3ܴz)3- R.?:okۼ0TU'w{6&w7j1z3ON'fGoO?)S_bQ_¿R(^ԴԴG.EtMڇ&RUiW uQjU> Kiu1d<ѥIQ'RQ1:O/lŗᏩiʂv&Jc{D5 Tt)1.n[n۶X}RjqnOʽ(~[Ns{ސ⛌uO,kgo֢dRNQȄ .'6W!׌P朼tdZjFGE"]K@'i۪N;sI[{SOzk>`rRR+!σj8&TjlvA̷Q?HyjyLHNտJMjܶT۽lG?SnKN%<‘ nq[N0Sq[Ta(&t(|HGO~gvkݻTR4&Z$#ViOY1r$6YF?e4U/Mvxų:zbU^gQQ+NW_'4jfz^c'#`rvrڡ(IJ/J ݦ6 ]-CW |_{v*_q3^DZ}Ic6Uڌ8p7{crZq5ki`)mU6|-Z5^iEz3P=:Cu7DF'k%}<C-޹ֲ̱#\,(f88%X-N(ck0VLR~} G"-8ӏ/ϰKq?(#nrVTmZ;zióM4 m |UT'C^_1X.gXM{%ʤd 4\ovN":"y-,T)fLQgۢr=/CƹǨJVr[a+!rT|%Y\ٱzsS>jͱ.oOc6f$q% ǒGo;n[];ߎjrk{~\VۓNIGn:iqxo |~t5)Rxעri{Vi&NUOl_ѮMfsޕkЄay.0P{7N((BaIP$ K"U6Gl ݙqJRu+qN$ m#*p<|{:>-Ev=86N*MM긭U*uѾ?/^o7;'u,h4݌xښRM:5.(/ \իU.{F^rmF-Jɷ.>Q"[4xT^OZ~mK}T0ݛ^SAo9u?lX(' qj%=X}"^e4wˠ|rܫ 6I\Ķ;Ӻw!'ڍWg{ i U_9Avhۣƾ+:vs/MK[ɭīe{`Zgb}r[i'GE2J7Nez579wRq+Un ]J.cJ4M:h箽Wxxm^ pc\wcN%'My $$| :$Fqɏ¾^қP9J6Wxvu}ݵP>Z'FFdg"-; [¢cmWkÎT8nG%ݣ7*\խCLRYZͤiD&J#'ehbSyXK|y*ӞpS̍R`[pTr/Eg)K+92{_ n3zwz'oŸۤ+sOj J:`T>Cf*lwd\fYOP"R E֢̔L4ɥ :;.b(B02rJ蠟9>V'9M%)IqnhP<%,r'P/vNSwr#w"ݨaqc(|{kd=^0jTMR2ULNz|.<|^PfY22##!,K~E BEJۜ&jRNsHަޛg\r,v؜.jK3)[EJ2ii{KEiHP^&]Gn8x=K}Wx/KI9-ϵwQ%spܾ[^R}S3$qvq8M[ ozKxcqmJ/ӿ{_}7&ݨ\f6ZSyQz& 7ۉ[8~UNn|nkiTB+4RI8'Nc%tn{!]Ȋo.nEmʱn𵵥J A+wy#+ikǒڂ;՛s85'KmE:Ђu""Iģ5p=БbTY-ͽڔ詻ngL2Q}$de# fs^o{DUUsfwӶ;s1T,ǤtޒQ\෼J=.tKU,7čJ5 N$y3kdSMQU~mO[03 $zAڟsF5^뜞"Կ QHmrR"ӳηer+ҔZ]hE-6Jmt'ޒ=O[sQj)6K}?e4v_KfZheޓ=BV[bY}lݒTTЬ{ȫvO_qpRApVŗ 6ju=*BR)g "O1yhb=tqJ gtm\b3RY+JQ^Ō֍\յ\>+uSi{=x ^w;uӘ#ĸzLn*$anok߷CBӷ}5Yqvdž<( "_OWit5:EZj2 B ρ1̊fi[n!HQF82q1牙nqnEpT(2RMoM4ϳOu ':֧_Xjsg jP^(ڙ{2%E͖j^}ZU[Q$'U) <܂%!s"m R'G5M0<+zM6qYm$ڕ$3ǧH]?o2N<8F1̻r_my[Rf59NjpzBnl7*{.QP 3N&^BLJPjAHCK2Q}$#~YMq8 k(MFMU)8MEqTy+Tʞ-ar5yܕOXw!e;q-Jqܶ䓊Y:LC UE{/t>r"lI9)3KJjϤA 6SEE$d߇3KG*En|P\ԭTn6I-ƍKTj<1H_zwGr19wF N8ݝ+a9ɫM6mhePi%mmD! """"""*1bRKrD"vnrM۫mmĽm]ӡiG~e"˩ lhRTMk^MX["Jݱk7_ޕ*DqĒ&flՒ}`W}~SմZ{ĕ~wm*/{{ѹ_-0ط#P]xlڱ~Tn5wi*lڪ (JxioϏbqKYR|!|KN53 OS222$jzww%i}>N)E+rۥ7c$Ofl/LNث\6H9: FY󡈾I)fB֔JI_ ֣^: 9mY{66㒢7Uj]:.-os[R&gMF3˸#໹kmjq^8W"PΦURjʄWa˧T!͋ lW48JB2ko+ /Nw QwQzQ ے%$ޓ7^YL|r7!v%Trܥ &|M8~ybrn[RV gSn{{*#2#ԽᢏӴHak" ӌcwҜw&RJ07ױ>Ļ =^ BɆ)v32.M1=#6%̠tҤnzqMwԣ~s*%-j|_m*.Yx9Sz=)qE4 3pk+,`=kNRڥ=B=nŔNAx)Q$ԩȧ4z3t#Z2lҮYn$S%y- JzGpu|LBV7ZW#;Wwipܷ%(6jFG5#{$D"uۭ~]֫SrD܃fҎӾ+Tu>-ZTQ& N|$沸ii>eRWݳu'[O̻j8JۻEѩ[]vni= ڒ,[_%kC7I3Nv$4ɎЈeٸoUu:[}Do5|zNq=Tre%ɧ6&~DȍF]ƞG5q m]/w/ \ʲr8=oʔe9U(W"|S]uZd#?Se[W"ֿh][-7Nu:T=)R}.;ml*5Dlf $fF(̏T hiIUU4Szɕ t(%_|2 ~6eM;TƗK[f&]LK^CE2[ȏBOd;Mi|cx,^6;sیGpQ\NuJIFTJ~đArh* B"$H쉩eXPRj?sl"ԥ)su]xpԴY%VESH"ЋJǰ K&5^Ukzׄ8kEgS2h&Se\ Yl]WҶp-ZUvi7QS:4byqOo+[̺腋[6-_Fo.6[7$p&^ _GZԸߍkc.qqoI[9m߸YxOZЦ1uoiSH)P9Uʄjcq= S>֙NeR><;+ڌk%_qT].srNO?s[=vH[]RZHRMtᩗVؾ:/~u)ԍdg%=edVrISb{6vSu=(ܥ)mTv/J}̇8 S3ad:^hBSf؉OɔLhI_1d8,L><_A0y3rXq"'(۱;mFNII.v5_(^q~X>y{3צ I*Vܛv/jW' T'NR'j%ꔩ:mJ3SB}΋!-H-RJBТQoedi9tjENenPpke.%4]#{:>mkEɱdYWl\\\'nRM4&U>?Ќˉk÷!𴪛]]5}UqG~ݏI"O~s6(Ļ)qO~h}uԕd}Q~G,oE!&G&/]_H-O=o{k\̭bkv.Ô܈+;arZx)m?M\3lU$mk-CFXjTv6u' g:Vn_*qk:VC A%'4JV%EY)#BғO4<e׿jQQ]yUr4=wm[K1r׵%Iũ-O}|kC;/VcݩWZ)EHdžTru]8hgĵ-;=>U_ InvTm_jBM+QiF"9*{DI/iuo(=TzϖmPQl_v4z>T*ȴ>YF;ε\t]EH4ꌇ[VrLzef 2T^V>g2~kg5~Nק;{~Z~W}&ŒBӿS2$J?~(Yœ"˲ߩ\O]: J׉ښT{mmIѩn3˧)4LdFZ/zUG>U> n 5& ϴ-KJi2o]uKljvK3$bԔҚV旧iY5.ίfi96v7!v))FJM4{jG~Jt/lUE%pTAFe4qQk\ve۽/u/Im+W')v{\-E|Pms7߮DZRr۞/mu*1ՙaB܆ -xg3#6ۥtRogʌU)׎]ZҞNnŞr}F1Nnޞ;cZ{N}ۿMiuxʉ*3qi'9KHQ$WJxXyرŔe~[v5~/jN9Q4o6rJv FrdxM*iRjMzUinHdн7ᾞS=S'7 } ̽zt7K|_g J=Lq+/Bw_\ۧx\HJUPzQ<hqF[V0x==CsU7q|^ {)Iq38$_A(VgcKu06Ƅ"%i~_ˉk QCܣB8Ku/񋇵u([w}$F|8TՠI.E !;RJ^}MɒD_q2];Ɖ{5}*n7nEInO{Mwv}&q+v [V}Ĝ@%>#dXQ$f;iep.GquixVt x6bj͵mlKقQ[T]zs/&yەnM'W}!Fp_d^Tu N{ɻ'l{խ2.sTu{W^H&;1s)Pӛ6>$mě;Łnj= fLT)>׸+qReɴ[UR\L*P/!$Ӊ3Q 'K=m~6XqW3^W+ųO_[F$rR*u"T%@O +%# ]˽!aܽz{ͷvQh쩎]hGތ5ɇ*DzJDRNLi 4:{~2FmXY-zzĽ^f=]uū{/+&c:Ma{ĝDp2m܍kHș/(--m_vݮK(V{R}.k&yƴ7i^4@3f sK3^Ř˸B=]?gt5KbZB<e;kQLpxuWC}n 5ҴepB##~q= `x]KWF {GfŲ}?G.I9pjWkU]>={7q{kO/^I3==f1ɏ%nnʫ/Zu_yXN<57ۍ'vy/"8넭M2eԷ&Y,в33%IkjMr7xf nmQkX4踼>a-GcIeތw&U=-:qnW)z¥j :WqSZvԒ#j"KrIU)%qrmRoDGQ~SYRsu*V)  ,/x)MFD6O#]z 96[Ui(JRfw'y$GeUީkdMF-ݻ98F2d[o{Rn0n-xsV6Dh|Eb2E:KCOӪv4SJCr"J!!m,hRLD| ZYFm/X~ΧfrN&4Ƒ=Z9Mh.Mܵw/BdrܥniŪ8ɧ|y%œ[M=_tj?F!z5\evM:\ ~F-sg钬OWq“iiȍ<Gi%%n2rqͻllƑ)okw7}\Uk-:&fj솘XerV9yZuʼşdFC=rmo%~ZN78X(N)_7.Εn1MpJ}62jjJdI";R5&iLԸc:jmqiQj$ujp\{;v5B񥍪Xn Ą4qOERjzN(Ga٠䌡)p*v(J7#ZۻZ8O W uONb+^Qipv9GvֽƼϯrYƖKGJQDNPhRJjᡧC"21"9ѓS1;R_O7/WGz)8fE%F2ukmvSov/iZ&/]~KmI[:^~ͤ\kMi稜\ywJt3W7 8Ʒ~ݥeFgѼw"8VVSج\뻆}ݭ/J6Q)d|)zU3>k\L=;ow֯gN3pKѫ|wmkZ$z^2R:E)f>ς нd|#׆?\ǔpV{;\$ƵE%-ͪm0S6[n< kE[}mvE4DDZ^$OZ0*$~XUv҅B@^?]so#%ojw;Y#SxxueBگy v^i-)s)zV jC{7Gt.w3v,ygg8s]aE_,*E tY5k٨h=o"m泏:\6w噓aiL׎n^c\75AGkЯ0Lf46َ`egZ˓p/k;̛]kq!ݸzpԭG"}R9Ve>ˏHUjJ-&7nrnwG*Xv\˱/vN}O)ʼn&CV͍f̵]r\PMB-6Du-#RͰtRN^)mT _}nSȕC*_xBuTkJW[`ɩ`ejvsngP ڻ.-WUtܑqԹQj)t;vN&RNũT+8%IXӃ5fK՛-d9 ]CƑm|nZ-6=Hz,*aEm W3VzRšdY~Xf׀Xx"]s;)5u*ُHB BRGS6bݶؿ 9j[1*jױga7oX CUI%0v#~\-O-Ꙛuɷ쏪&5mY٦M`LJ2qK~HZbr =N'YobI. (^ ׾{_ ?OJ`S`3BN[}5w6:ǵ/iSlt=4F*d&T4y/#. ɵim5Uֲf 眕6Y7 fơ=3dϕq뚩$qTM-%r!$@A? ޾V0c~{[{;򥧅a~ڵ»&ڄv1ek=wb MLkNAԬw-x>~/r=e73VeVN)K%Sښe"+3uXuچrn ֺVzscJ峻m}vb㶓n\YbIUBT%*,0nov=;z꣓S/nSXSpl##k9mXGrZv^Gde!ŷRԠzQyjC]`gToPov{j~KRBMY}i[߶9KL2ԉO0K#m>wB[ٍ+n[[b٦DX ݲpo] [\m5qdT()mo4Oy9Ie b][wղmM~vmi۱~t \}$яimRk(L c Cvk7r9_r1 ;zv|F@KyZ[&jEji/"6$69ml#e]9s\{ScL}Ȣؿ0q/nZ*t,CLoD߉Njǚy=Pgmu6^]l-["çUʖMlʍp-"qmU>۷uFOJ%Ǔkx 'g=睋k[3u,{³WɘݪF]ՍeFX"Oy\,cچ=w/gn Ļ]#2? vqy-gXnR.^}ݺFs{ŝG]}e|#0mjx"ƬWكm?rgU^xVB":Dt>@LRbun~ݭ,w+v⪕;\U(RYa61>#Jm˞Μ9g9XKaG='u8gf}'qy#ɉw J]We.ʲ-<+&q%s?2dњztҼn`cΤmmqMdz O[-ߩӲ&;[tmܝVnr">{x<8U+p:Ig]zjGkt,uzf}dؠoJaکqEq -(:d<պ=eKy[˗^%ZXkX[C2߱\ITTLGzANM￵i]K>UsOGDDD.ZF6* ҃V Zhz{'xp^`wo8r0h ZmJ5"jb[l=yUu7-;7IT%:jFjߖm0tzU'K)څNۧYJ)4IQ}^KWm7kSP>q;ނ#)'n7&׊r?óM{IwR\j2Qn[v pe#/tAF\ϵ225q֒om6z})6҅*oqDsMf CNIN=T S2t,_ѧ}kveMF0J\Rnnݙܹy[rUc-j{yGtkQ%s]5qB.Nw.JN1LvR Ui5J ZESQԙr):MJ+g}χ!2;q([jAud][ljVK3$ײSJI=/|&tl'*n۽f.frܥ jQO8>&Z];.|7T/C}$ڋUmP2Reҭ8hFF\L 3~e v\۫]ݝNmrnB%*]Z«hKc=BTLG :V74$=Ǘy+EX'4tn(I:Ѝ;Df8c,k1%dJ6.j6ź{N~l6&*fœI7 WAlGOu-ҢH,,(ǔe뿋쩨kM܍ZſgRvQ' 9)?n|er˭|I|-fGK.rΛp8XV1%K6mvG+tc+qE&ǸC_Nm:l=_/m5^[dߌڇ.c<%:)tQ$Ow~-aY;UJ>=F)2[nk؆?훐M=l6[4(O.]2#-H^n#->&mp5~Fӛ+|| S,xag%qkEUzUgæBhߕP(7]kFnq?֖CpruZ6*rEڊtS|*tI*E}7R<,nUU֫^I7Q*mSly%rdȓd8hE<9oHhMfNSRj[i7D[Rj݊+kდq{"$$H?p\̅S?㭻;t~R߁)^/>Qj`yt[w ԛ;²~+ߔ_ YW~|o]?x^ᯛ `ʼn;g)T@vWn]>&4lp+$D̢1l|ȨF%-}.9[}w~ ԠLM9hСablfe&QoW!s?wjLK?s7yO>(=C~_nyǜu?v3vyo oI@qV-jeES^[9WoSܝh"l2C1a͔CiJ@3:Pճw=/7ovuk+\V;lDgն<[A+rX~d;m!_s8ݖ׷;;.0llUC+?i#_crʙ1~C.\–q ul8Hܶ2m`ܻM3Tov|Bs rɵ"oLS- DКw=Tv@f'6|YlD͓Y%׵-#Ѯo%:&!3o%\J<02;K87>^vgƓ# ;ݝmz^Y6=PS39U%~ &f# }o!muH;ʲŇ˷yvP+&.7e[3'vR4Yj̗IZ`e˽3o[WU{ m[sUbۋZǾۆl6~9'V*.\S2<Sd*zY[aŶ`]C$n.v^Ʌ dng>ەZ,Mmϑ :n6nϦezWqUJ4! ۇ4R! =>>Fn|Q[{pRO17ƕ~._I''00k=b՛o}Osðc2'o\3}ݭQ^2 . R1yKȣtAݿ-uܾw!`?1Whn|gzUo[ECWwjUIן)^h#1ɭ!/Z np;o;ΗŻkXs."6E`Z1 עӐ9Kl8qd q} 2Stt;#j>;խabONŗ=fwP1j)l6J̶|gV2`y/0E˛6+ԫ1? 6}KW c\KoKͨ2ۅFw–s*TԞLיuDx .kCzWXhy۶gLu|%TnupǺl-S* PRaLnT+c+*xl.v!.U=|; !_L̎뱚U=4hm:ٯ"y)$:>%(n}X'p[ȴ ^˒4kƓmzDx \ 'NqamP7nyN݅=j7%McSڵj%STy qXymvCg{w/w=wSW5r̹u erծˊsOm=DhEҚRb#n)QOxtվQwe]I}wCa'"[ۂ-z}2UuKP$㜉ԧ:mc<Ý>RoL?wu|%ҷ&K y_!y9 ??:tq3(UU-lkS'ɸ@jdzQˬR] EVPW1DJq2n:,c|ǻ̑;y{X,ۂ.u.b˕u.tKBjQ"[S園S`ٮdNبeJ&9Ơ ~0a(Vm٘L+Jr*vڑE( x0+tp˕ n';wm-ޜMOxX>{#2%jgb2M[`K*\5@8l'e=0u+w ֘鳾{y܀:R*Ya]"Ӧ%ktynlۣ65,3gU}{GYrb;ge'TKwǘ.,rpܚV]Tr,!dp /ԺU,xՉ>s׽~W5oTh yx?xrrx?)?ilbT׬,z$Ԏ.UH٠\U1pU:]JwSrGZq8àd驐,N67QYBӢD㏙W!Q25ϸo9ms-7-%3CihO.J鯽-;MZM8ku-7k9S$8]q2E(}bۏI[DKOK}3KUB^u %Y,u.-&f#]'܆o$x`Yu,dzwM;#oKxn;\[d7}Rb+*Y䛂ZuBӱl{j0O̓}LhK;[aֶaGL{Cb#S.T[>߃F]NK"u^LUʐ_ykW?!GRj29͖qa'0[npcDvV)qz9R)PۨM^aJx W] r>];eN3vxdmĘ(5W2K1䪖weF{mE/QP6\u54x5[hۮ-Nk”i[lUgL]J}5 S:EhiUrgHl!ŒJ$pe=q^b͵Q' ?6|R\,JA ڵ"TDꈭ:ymg`B5t%M] <N_zv2_Ortٵ/i/ReӮ*7[qүqEG* m"[I:6e^p"I$jԴęh!m)]GZkcjS!{e^z}+Cѥ9;R|/ֱeiUԏCNu2Zhcٗg$ݭwvr P8*7/Lk~I'Km1+MW%Bk|oOm>-#qj*|Dbѱkn|n{v#jĮqNpMIUm(7Liz;{ҜݞڝVƚVϬ+sO!OstGvxӉ']uӎ4g_ 1^-8ۦ k!)Ύ5O;YSB#2Zzχ;<.ֵOtge~.(RC#wFZeGZٸ6FFJ4e2ˇpJT$[wgV)q6muDGJ56q\I!̗ y/I~RtJ9kJ]Iy*'FN0s.[l!fw'y(7$œ WƫgyΙdMEU JQJv̋vmrۖ.jWR_M֨djYgSj0^\y'EoECjm$ IƩK>Z28J2TiJ2N#}.s cArl嫶nB.FIJ.)۔\ZiM>/hLĸ=C1s[?YMqp|94- 鮝𦔽/k^#NT(Y LS$6˩}{;5 )B۷W$qpN)qqoot}ZDVә;7TiK|6f3h$dԄ}fqݡ>Nb򗉉+ͶO]>ߡ_VtYf79ڰիF sq~prս|QM)g%l0ocJȨHz V;Bb/kLAcfPJ,ԭ{ƍgpjNR6VSI*$!yV足jᇑ.](EܣqM\qJ2eZT).<9UB/(B0j)mtKEj#׿fDI-=rZړj|'Nڤ]k*i$5qt"ݙPM6E4ke^Z8ۏhz$Q(R Ay2zfRñnpnkbkI:=j &ΝșW?׵d{+ύM'??XqeeĽ.[o=UxFS=ӷdZwenՄ]_X=ĭVa* pKs0ބۍfJ3 gz̚i|wnxtjc¼5${(1fXQ65ȼb̶Zkn>%FQMJXӡ{TZEVNᖣimT/37cNJUPnP҂ZOE~"-Rc4^b- FEͧtf5[)S!OZIښݲ͑;tvܡ+N)AR=hCNn;wL16-:特7M$=Tҕ-.R[HٷnXk sn[ҞD-0WS9p9:-Ϸ-jѬNu{ҹfv)[Ľvwfg(ٷfe+0mYj8Q1\ݧg]Eǎvڿc!4#j5̋C2"}BRriFp7=ô\TZ:\BLfj#I22װ<;صZl j 6:l"6]۸ K'6RTѯ^ئOԓV\?$x7s#r:Oh{ց=MmuHԷd{pN /܅:UE#Yy+(SgQ(Щ)RHzw>^Ѿݻ>mK&^ '$Jۻ&w%F|xfz%˳ L~3N?Cy9 v w/{ƿ kz3x> sXv}vP"@WyC z`'톽Dw%-tt yVY\wmuPYQA0iG-2JP,6/gˢ]u.-n!Zw.N7Q]Df}Q0({a\@=i_X7gFǘ8^⻲}G MZ1)WEfO12G+=-B@z\`||w6ċj߬m}UwRox֢I &c~XGP6Qndpvܻul'V7^FJt^{b^B(L~sѣ6@߿^xqU!ڙ5|Vpvef-uӥ^3  FSDɯKD%0r}FF穛r7 +o"V8tv̖NQU!5uFd"bCr^bJ=֤fM#ʳԷP0O-9xRBm\=`r-:;~3Tl(nXtXi%2Vٛ#vwqƴ`L@"H‹qW.j,JM5B[)WܺUeZFqc'V˷1W7V̾-MHФwn8N;HPSdݷC7&2j.W\τGŎ'Vb]c.x+Rx1%C2T{myg[qU|+m:M:շ8҉yWd)ՋWS%%:iqlʹmGwݹ WnNŤѩ5(9hTٵDdGUi-)vSs2 2{OnT$Xck n:¶(lASLeȔBjμPpTb2~N2~%^k[ܗ[Jzs0ӓHBKq[}JَA-$dFQgjxxFv4r/x*Rm% `4J(&iv7SkԲmSH1YWmx 8n.k']:Z˭_W >ڃXЩ. jTq%Aā[E}amc]D:rmHRiu:uӚӢ\p(5-q%e)(۬ҖȽIf<߽pr&ݫVfY91q2ĭEQgYbTGQ&,yL+N$[q*RVۉQ=FuTܻ>f>f㋳8N6$܌n)9&»iˤsX,݅܍ȩv+sRTpO}d?Wn/Inpȸ%O]StQO|v5\}7Zwb.AIVK^:wb{[uݯcytO߶S<{8KSRׁH̏N7ۚ[xkwYy_'ZӵF+>쌛ZUĦreE9F[24De{}@:ExWs-\ǻ7K-\JNvEk%:s˙#κ].oͳ;լ7wB6nwu:$L; DkI#Wz.:Xp(˅v$Sq,wn\qIN-e<5Oe+vuYTpcojUI_ާP8 O 7&VL8z$_B-H-[uh]T{|8=qVRN-:Ij:7PUtXϷmy鉿:RIM~33ӸS2#׳GdŲ5+/Bx{(WzȨ5Y㞎#|˖+ ط.|e<o/rߔX>7s}VE.OVti׽ .5nNJO"95{#q}Ay9do]R"M6z\tnNS-D!@3N_jicWsy*5uٮRcWv/.,j}=S)j5C^> Ie =gu9ӛqjtz]۪TMoߧI!Ǧ¶m:,"[L!{qAv-o 3{"KʼnrIkfٶj2ƙ؄S`7` k6jzޞ?e5G&6uʷ2%ԒRKE*G\Npom F/V |C0.q_eenƣ<5Oh'67ɪn[SĽ{ڔjǘzs;~׌(ۂ`ܢ1ƣ` _l9Va6%UQWh~P~\F^ZHR@:ۧCJ{ôGeBh;~ۧnU J\O+n2 RҠ)ng}Kh{5+S×ܛ.1ZjG)iRȤIN 4%{oΜ/eO[Nffd ĹK?nnԼMqX'܌nZvq<ķbFnͪaQ`5 s,M_լ?-@_{w{ӺձJ}GF[%v\5[ŒGkOw/ΜM9rjË%2+rd~+󲕛C9U۳r[aJǭm|˒LAʨSCq[XMۺoubfp:t+ΤĻo ][ zt-*67kvS7D·MMCQXm;)܎n_h%]4ܙnRk!]ڵsDUF"`R, &#R_*[z*ZqFXɻ]7|۵w+'pFDەs=r./ᐚm3Hשy yD"jHCr':sA65نѮ^o1V/ f;nFr3VM)e*- s D'H݅fӧ\*޷[k<7u<-]֍Q8R h|p=WlW3s%Q %3l}@U-K6f-NϿu|ڴmWN׮[׸F*mW\%r! C78:޳vBG7ŵ.JթԚ2x)ST!řn~9 W:Wpܢ件{xf8ٳwKE ҰWxVB\qBZ 2wMb[lGSnyԚ~z9ZmያvoN2Afnݽjf>)j3 !;gOYʹK" Wftڎ+׭b*2ϻK>ۢӱeyԪXISUm[z+ugX%0lϏnvg!;t{BqPj>PyvR7Cj]O%+ݲ :qiMj6W}3vC/R=4Som]ŗ=ю, TF6U_-\6MyskwMr&Q\wjKܩyMϣUj0*}RZܷSdY3>Zjqj6TgzpA/M`/Cmл,޻feE[/+uk^Vs1W$G(JsW2ٰu*߻q*Y޵.Wi:ur5T),=0uRmho.twܖiYwrWHntvEj8qhf`Ͻpf(R&>Ki%I7$QӖm-2 ~yߗQ-앑/ x[k8nw.c㩵k}]FkbJl:{.(˩n0Hqvαp7 귎.Gupx[N`Yq'+ruU7[ү+>!xrȫoSo]OC# d^Q]\>!ƛGw^Mx"-+%vdX-:M2UR%d>%l ioSu6lsj7D P>XxHz Ukà(n^Q V>5cVtWj SEiJdznyej[lE' 3kuٌNn4JW)gB {4 j6&]' m-(ZMEz8cz>WZ6#7+[,MR-Z!4ܓtCyE|umj1ƽvƷV\;%>Q :#Le(iVz5 4ũۤUWxX ^(ҔsլB2w-V ^R+; ˂M\z+Uwr+RWY⺧~ Q*JcYSNSλUd8in=v K낫k\IRרSUaCFmϿ5̗P|u ZTԕ}>oYѲ1sfP+sQkX8Gb~6r,s>^\,mGL+7[n-E\.Fqḕcl*Jmjb5 ,m]c}NXfeVlǸJ5eˡ$4%g~N p4Y*WwW٧<8v#;qԩTut,m"#Y D\5V`\\Lȋ];LȇiS6ϝZ l>LruR\v=ǘϔDg=ԈdFZ+M{=|,[;0>RiSi4,S5}yxw&(E7&fݙ4UՕ! ~'Id)]ǽu2K-fޭ \08Vڅ쓬=Vy^^ IhyKR-B#Ըr=]mܻӾ'*Umkoy rTqT_i,/8Q^<ݤ|4ԻO(܄"'5N~#m.(Ҿ2i6Uev&I*<}҄$eNtÛzyWJubW^iBW.܅Wڮg]irO6Ve90sgv.+sV޿aޔ[p?3q*FutUo*eL\KM'EG*ZcAFfG5J 5jj=MJ3OK:k˝'NMB7m3uFҕ\-Ywg%PRqMIyZGY9|μvn߻5cWݷa^+X֥vnݘ\v7m>Fgzv"-;Ew֝}1|RjN𿊀7g#֟*GQQ|#/bo]p$>_Un9гUbn9׃ErQBU-^vDmVh'<R[fdHT]*~}3j;nvjc7s-rӳ Y8[n[1pJx kX[Jk9Mn!_Nю6x:iZ˦U |߉^Ԛ݃hYxk &U^bwKk.[jE+P(˞=9j@snCv7%c_7=xǁ<l {t'酚+1F‹l׭:ݻILruǶkL-L(K0L1&>wXB(pm;1fpnlp֓%Skidkt(U +xulo'/ڕeN r=^pZZ:Pnj8Hf"48ijY[ N[yZٻ+=  ø:3 ?^ܷ^Sr#YK[UF?CuhC b]GM')mڏsNrܗI]ljq6VB. W,UK"YX5{c >Iqā> T:n!,5l2VzCl|+I[*SrjnS6٨y+x,@>П.g+!rn9>N|W>OZT_ut Y""v7|sfި;Pclm EùN,{'fNT%U&LfH8~1v>Il}统u6P˗c(WV~H^bMU.o*oOF0N:_:6Smr_.b+|ݶYY غF,mwjv>f*>QM뭱Sd:`N{l/⎱;n-z~"Gze퇎J5S KG9!Gn;N1 ݎ h6m|S?ɂ5'WOÞ 7|7^ao @mxGmi^jϽ>01Mf0լD3-2T. VXR"ɥV Kl J O7|u?bvа;6.eߓ|[1bmRr,eRz`z 6܎-ͨku͹Fː dPhYgZUj}nvX;z=gVեTv_J }\1n7w2J?ޘγc\E 1Aޑzq;\r]]\Y&[nsNei\uURje*Qk2CSl*xJz-xٶlm+|UjUؓ`Ladqiĩ!Gd\W~fz;Tn*PdRM&T4`չSWq5k훶(N"Ӎ% V]֦wb.nUO!u*J&Oӕ2e|Z=eV쫚΅g#+/RW:طnbi*Wyo)p{:ETKؚR(RY+r웓r(IF) VmȵNB:h Q1ғ|u8E]{,'$-TR[j49l*3"I鯴zhd>Q+\BkNF=.$ZR4Nwհ(IpNi.(Gi33#33e$FXK*NdWrud[r{xnk$v2ıh+J1TQ[#JQl[tRO]LHKٮ NӍnF񨔤֞Em'MILB"ԋ%dBŋ+p̿_17jzT~4pc Vo\ƹb9Rq-'1j;8ܗ)hE%DZKS<璸Bu*%*Yw5ڻ9ۣ^z4U; Ñk\U(o~G?VUĎ:?P?_F_Kߤ~ᓾI |pr.Ok\SklRhҪz{­P .}SktZ7UQ4ڌIM8̈eaӊJZ%FFZu,KZvln廐SNFIVtuNi?CM5]+Ph,{jN JSR$IS^tSUVrORYu.9WyP6 [Kiu m!X|]Y79ӄ)\ģ)pbڳr%*&ꑶ_-H*dzk)1 V3')UAϹٶWRxe'պn۫h7AR9 EAJeGLms!%D| A 5]/Q3eb̄vnVn%za\m kZnv([emqrIҕij|""><hjJשvvǕ|Pޟs}V~2&Z?+2N&Z4w@)4iSڪ_>/JN9Hiۏuf8'It[ȲR.hZ$ȋ_Y ~U<UUO*6b)Ovzڜj\R̋.$FsQuҊj^נ䈈y<zZIuP[}Qm=C?zN(Exqu/kn S-FzKZzOסӽjJ\)F3b!r5ٝ|;6 o=-3*λ]αb\abqRi-w޵⦪~b8Kpo)Z=>)ғ"5/GTZLE-輵f7ݘ۹~+&+w/7GFI:l33fg.N~۲\2|*cnermnnM+Fq"ѪIz%j =YW8@~gc/~?N'?)«qȸs➟n=k" X“m֮VreMh2[uݖ] *FܖN)MȐ`f0 g,C9̑o;ddudJ=In13:ݒvvdMUEJLp^,6t-@͐9'{7m{-3,>hnF;ѰM)->>+Ěz!R* :`e--m7nB\u{b U>[8֪]6^ߤLʦ\DFNo$$dͶlgno8OrsQ\l̯hRo8tuNo+ CTxu!2[>ctFpeޓƻֶR"3QrQuOѳgwQr;S~)6HhZw/GgVTmUf_yt7%$];zLWF̰xy2Ʉu!MCmš_0[W6jf#a-KLi+3Q7c^qg%s<1aYIQeZf+}>;S6L0]Yu_h9߻<ƅpmiM$AVvŚ,*#t2.8Y)-Zhshü97/#Oro"u^/uFgWɺ,p:6a,^x%$Yve^3PƗMnTP&yS}OJ '덫MH^:rXԴJۋ/rI;S*,+yz1hv)Qw^ڍJ2oL׊q(\fDj:^T%vOadɂnS}ZO)N*λdaȜkG_PIEO}нa(^iQX᯦-7^)%g'SJx(.S9zVɴZ{E ))ۅi/s7 VIV-|sj0*UBTHIqRf>FP$KqN0 R̻8j\GcC}IUz\i 6F)Q{Gҧ3qSzKj-Az VЛS-zy:8*mNk|D鿓ND2u+0Yŝ7kqm·?8Ib]u>˗^_>(]vӋzv+ݩ){vZrJ2RQ몋C$z [,pp,8mڊbR]Il .f~d/ݓs㓓mͶ{mgjQwn=Oic9ܚm4Q/6ݨ[TƧ?nԶoytf{@AzT{e{[O'ZRZt~AGD?s3􌿂ՉIw'|~U\ w~di:Kޱ)U/sU%njѩ&GSP^ǝd)..!^U` 1wX[aԇSxoFV6_扐)T 2Mfd=ۖͭiZ7KK Bi9%7@<3<ճԻU,},a}FRqɛr i@ONJvK KLN M, ʖv0n-]DwlI-X6ܶ$Jʴh5O+mOI+Ra瞠\ MG7BفjYo1#͖0V`Ѱ2M?c8>-Crt*JkIGS:e#hPKx[鱼>{5m;wcն&>j-M֥^َ) 6yȜl_w{-ō̱r> U=]iw3)r*]:K]6BdCTZ|>gf}LW}[$'Y5 &c -j.z6R 67MԷFMnÌwI7w5E}o޽+K ֵy4܌ȥW"COyR[q5Ӱ͙f[v"_#q{MV6܍3"u9BK(41ӯqˇc${ߝCi6I(OmθzҜ5k^:>Jzw.>qV8{vU[ڶEm|DžBz].KHjI]x;Mɗ{m,qZXr忇2u^RO2Z}ZێS[2Jen!*NDcrBUً4<ǼMҲs1Zw57c3&ĖڻzmP*FuJG1-dN:|OU}ҵgi2t~F^^Z.VxjvŧnNNh<:]^~NN+ge^g.SԔGFe߯'[vn'(ScJ]kܗ7eJOlRrfziݮq̋S"\*U<*W]k$FջV}? 7g#֟*GQQ|#/bo]p$>_Un9;l S VvQU%OLU{οmU6bZ1MTx%!֙Q7, J=!3 ;Q,ڌ;6ͱ݅q^&ߔ·n #WbwӖX.HtG)N&d̵zpI,n cu ޖUj+VXUp[w]N o.J6Z8Ts&utxln;~HPHS/xw`G\ʡ¿rj Z^vt"[L:SD\h0sUwR,}[x^X,R2Vn< ]2YDr[SRKs8tXb̷G?Ps Tv 3be,zVz D[/I.KOEQrm'$7|[J>r S`5յwT#\w1FTz\Ԛ &"ׅhSHrD\'r]~/>p;:Piuu:"9ő=tTaS7V2rӷk7mb[^WmPp*[y.Þ6f]cizJCgRR@UVl큝.WJP1N{/\whZ ػϧӱE7|E֫Sί.x-Y&pi%v''-x6r'Ws*6=DwwUu]=C?MK [yrtܒG$!WGqJ*%SAz ED[^)/tė/g=#Omd.|^n/sl׉g DZqemqowݮRzUܜ=ڽ-o/Iۖ;qVʘgPp|mm;6zGl9.8pwWgsJ2qPbe}}UpNjٯ}7TMQKrؽtEx%v w߾8%|j;~|}pK]ơ/ w߾8%|j;~|}pK]ơ/ w&~e_H 8PL7:%ʭ5Kw&U2vwR_+rm'}C7#rWoO&HoG?M$UR7{FU]u ;# !Wk`|W>׹潇9Vn)6)*ҹ{%qV4q>W1vi#T"Qk&GwxcJBJ- Ϸ^ˁxkU}ԣ/3.;]J=<*)cS)ROK9H=,r zX @)cS)Da^ԽQ gxJI=w֣gf*TRj

Correspondence to Eunju Kim. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 6431 Fannin St., Houston, TX 77030, USA. eunju.kim@uth.tmc.edu
• Received: April 23, 2023   • Revised: July 4, 2023   • Accepted: July 11, 2023

Copyright © 2023. The Korean Society of Clinical Nutrition

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

  • 4 Views
  • 0 Download
  • 6 Crossref
prev
  • The rising prevalence of obesity and diabetes is a significant health concern both in globally and is now regarded as a worldwide epidemic. Added sugars like sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are a major concern due to their link with an increased incidence of diet-induced obesity and diabetes. The purpose of this review is to provide insight into the effects of natural sweeteners as alternatives to sucrose and HFCS, which are known to have negative impacts on metabolic diseases and to promote further research on sugar consumption with a focus on improving metabolic health. The collective evidences suggest that natural alternative sweeteners have positive impacts on various markers associated with obesity and diabetes, including body weight gain, hepatic fat accumulation, abnormal blood glucose or lipid homeostasis, and insulin resistance. Taken together, natural alternative sweeteners can be useful substitutes to decrease the risk of obesity and diabetes compared with sucrose and HFCS.
Obesity
The rising prevalence of obesity is a significant health concern both in the United States (US) and globally and is now regarded as a worldwide epidemic. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that 40% of Americans are currently impacted by obesity [1]. In May 2022, the World Health Organization published a report on the status of the obesity pandemic in Europe, which revealed that approximately 60% of individuals residing in the region are either overweight or obese [2]. Obesity can result in metabolic dysregulation, which can interfere with the proper functioning of key metabolic organs, including the liver, adipose tissue, pancreas, muscles, and intestines [3, 4, 5]. Studies on the distribution and determinants of diseases in populations have shown that there is a connection between high body mass index (BMI) and various chronic conditions such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) [6], cardiovascular disease [7, 8], diabetes [7, 9], multiple cancers [10, 11, 12], musculoskeletal diseases [13, 14], and chronic kidney disease [7].
Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)
T2DM is significantly associated with overweight and obesity, as high BMI and waist circumference ratios have been confirmed as risk factors for the disease. Obesity is a triggering factor for DM related to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a common factor associated with obesity, which is a pathological condition in the development of T2DM [15]. T2DM is a major type of DM that results from imbalanced glucose homeostasis due to insulin resistance in peripheral tissues, such as the pancreas, liver, adipose tissue, and muscle. Furthermore, DM is a complex chronic disease characterized by high blood glucose levels or hyperglycemia, which results from a deficiency in insulin secretion, action, or both [15, 16]. Obesity-related insulin resistance is associated with a range of metabolic abnormalities related to obesity, including dyslipidemia, NAFLD, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke [15, 17, 18]. Insulin resistance triggered by inflammation can increase lipolysis in adipose tissue, leading to the release of free fatty acids (FFAs) into the bloodstream. This, in turn, can contribute to other metabolic dysfunctions, such as hepatic steatosis [19, 20].
NAFLD
The liver plays a significant role in regulating numerous metabolic pathways. NAFLD is the most frequent liver disease worldwide, and is a general type of chronic liver disease that is associated with obesity and T2DM [18, 19]. For example, NAFLD shows dyslipidemia, abdominal adiposity, and glucose intolerance. Increased of visceral adipose tissue is associated with NAFLD, which raises FFAs and accumulate fat in the liver [21]. NAFLD is a condition that includes 2 forms: hepatic steatosis, which is characterized by the accumulation of fat within the liver cells, and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, which is a more severe form that can lead to liver cirrhosis and failure [22]. Furthermore, hyperglycemia led to insulin resistance could worsen the condition of NAFLD. According to a study conducted in Japan, the occurrence of hepatic steatosis in lean adults was 62% among newly diagnosed T2DM patients and 43% among individuals with impaired fasting glucose levels, whereas it was only 27% in those with normal fasting glucose levels [23]. Insulin resistance in adipocytes can lead to the failure of suppressing hormone-sensitive lipase through insulin and result in the release of FFAs into the bloodstream, mainly from visceral adipose tissue [24]. The release of FFAs from visceral adipose tissue is particularly problematic, as they are processed first in the liver [25, 26]. These FFAs can travel to the liver and contribute to lipid accumulation within the organ such as the liver. The triglyceride (TG) accumulation in the liver comes from 3 sources including FFAs, de novo lipogenesis, and diet. FFAs that enter the portal circulation can be classified into one of 3 types: i) undergo β-oxidation, ii) get re-esterified to form TG and are exported as very low-density lipoprotein, or iii) get re-esterified and stored in the liver [27]. The conversion of carbohydrates into lipids, known as de novo lipogenesis, also plays a role in the accumulation of lipids in the liver and is elevated in cases of insulin resistance [27]. Furthermore, inflammation can increase proinflammatory cytokines-mediated upregulation of hepatic fatty acid translocase and also exacerbate the accumulation of FFAs in the liver, leading to steatosis [28]. These feature of NAFLD can cause an increase gluconeogenesis and hyperglycemia in the liver [29].
The balance between energy intake and expenditure is crucial for metabolic processes, and diet plays a significant role in this regard. Maintaining a balanced macronutrient intake is important to prevent excess energy storage in adipose tissue, which can lead to obesity [16]. Additionally, controlling body weight is therefore important in both preventing and treating metabolic disease such as diabetes and obesity. In diabetic and obesity patients, a high intake of diets containing red meats, refined grains, and sugars has been shown to increase the risk of diabetes and exacerbate glycemic control and blood lipids, emphasizing the importance of individual dietary behavior in the prevention and management of metabolic diseases [30, 31]. High intake of fats and sugars-rich foods are major factors of obesity [31, 32]. Therefore, the management of health conditions such as obesity and diabetes, as well as related liver diseases, heavily relies on the implementation of proper diet control as an essential preventive and therapeutic manners.
The consumption of high levels of dietary sugars has become a global concern due to its association with increased risk for metabolic disorders such as obesity, T2DM, and NAFLD [33, 34, 35]. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) strongly recommends that people should limit their intake of added sugars to no more than 10% of their total daily calorie consumption [36]. In 2016, although the American Heart Association advised people to consume no more than 6–9 teaspoons of sweeteners per day [37], the average per-person consumption of sweeteners in the US was approximately 22 teaspoons per day [38]. The consumption of added sugar has notably increased the glycemic index (GI) and overall energy intake of various food and beverage products. Excessive consumption of high-calorie and high-GI foods can lead to elevated glucose levels, which in turn can contribute to the accumulation of body fat and metabolic alterations [39, 40]. Added sugars in the human diet come mainly from sucrose (which is composed of 50% fructose and 50% glucose) and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). There are 2 types of HFCS commonly used, HFCS-55 (which consists of 55% fructose and 45% glucose or glucose polymers) and HFCS-42 (which is composed of 42% fructose and 58% glucose or glucose polymers) [41, 42]. In recent years, there has been significant scientific evidences surrounding the metabolism, endocrine response, and potential health impacts of sucrose, HFCS, and fructose [43, 44, 45]. Therefore, decreased intake of added sugars such as sucrose and HFCS is an important way in the prevention and treatment of various diseases.
Sucrose
Sucrose is a type of disaccharide consisting of fructose and glucose, linked by an O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-fructofuranoside bond, which are 2 types of monosaccharides, in a 1:1 ratio. This covalent bond between monosaccharides in sucrose is easily broken down by the sucrase enzyme in the gastrointestinal tract [46]. It is commonly used as a sweetener in the food industry and cooking due to its standard sweetness [47]. It is also used for energy source due to quick absorption in small intestine after breaking down into fructose and glucose by the enzyme sucrase in the small intestine [48] and increases blood glucose level [49, 50]. Various studies have shown that a high sucrose diet can lead to a range of metabolic diseases, including hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia. Within 10 weeks of intake, sucrose has been demonstrated to have a negative impact on the metabolic profile of overweight individuals [51]. Sucrose feeding in the rats produces impair insulin action, predominantly in the liver, compared to starch feeding rats [52]. Rats fed equienergetic high sucrose diets show significantly higher body weights compared to rats fed a control diet, similar to rats fed equienergetic high-fat diets (HFDs). These findings suggest that sucrose may contribute to weight gain as much as fat, even when calorie intake is the same [53]. Furthermore, High-sucrose diets elevated plasma TG by increasing hepatic TG secretion which is symptom of liver steatosis in both human and animals [54, 55] and up-regulated visceral fat in bilateral ventromedial hypothalamic-lesioned obese rats-lesioned obese rats [56]. In fruit fly, high sucrose diet decreased fruit fly development and promotes obesity phenotype accompanied by elevated steady-state insulin-like peptide 3 mRNA level [57]. Taken together, numerous studies have shown that high sucrose intake is associated with the development of obesity, diabetes, and NAFLD by up-regulating blood glucose and lipid levels, insulin resistance, and hepatic lipid accumulation.
HFCS
It is not uncommon for the public and media to have difficulty distinguishing between studies that use pure fructose or glucose, which are not commonly consumed in the human diet, and studies that use more commonly consumed sweeteners such as HFCS, which contain both fructose and glucose. HFCS-42 and HFCS-55 have similar monosaccharide compositions to sucrose, but unlike sucrose, their monosaccharides are not chemically bonded. They are instead free in solution. The main difference between sucrose and HFCS-42 and HFCS-55 is their moisture content, with sucrose having a lower percent moisture content (5%) compared to HFCS-42 and HFCS-55 (29% and 23%, respectively) [46]. In the US, HFCS has become a common replacement for refined sugar (sucrose) in various food items and almost all sweetened drinks [58]. Different types of HFCS have specific uses in the food industry. HFCS-42 is commonly used in baked goods, canned fruits, and condiments, whereas HFCS-55 is primarily used in regular carbonated soft drinks, other sweetened beverages like fruit drinks and ades, as well as ice cream and frozen desserts [58]. It is important to comprehend the behavioral and physiological impacts of consuming dietary HFCS, considering its widespread consumption in the American diet. This has led to considerable scientific researches over the past decade regarding the metabolism, endocrine response, and potential health effects of these sweeteners [59]. Previous studies insisted that the rapid rise in obesity in the US was closely linked to the increased consumption of HFCS [35, 44] as well as T2DM [60]. Teff et al. [43] demonstrated that consumption of meals with a high fructose content can decrease circulating of insulin and leptin levels in the bloodstream of women. Rats fed a diet high in HFCS for a period of 6 to 7 months displayed signs of obesity, including abnormal weight gain, increased levels of circulating TG, and increased fat deposition [61]. Research indicates that consuming HFCS may not provide the same level of satisfaction and feelings of fullness as consuming sucrose, leading to overeating. These studies have found that consuming pure fructose can result in higher levels of various factors such as plasma FFAs, leptin, adiponectin, abdominal adipose tissue, and reduced insulin sensitivity [62, 63, 64]. Moreover, rats fed a HFD with consuming high-fructose showed increased resistance to leptin and worsened weight gain [64].
Consumption of HFCS results in higher levels of fructose in the body and causes acute metabolic effects that differ significantly from those caused by other sweeteners [65]. Metabolism of fructose and glucose in the liver differs significantly. The liver regulates glucose metabolism through glycolytic pathways, which can be influenced by the enzyme 6-phosphofructo-2 kinase isoform 1. However, fructose is metabolized differently in the liver, as it is first phosphorylated by fructokinase and then cleaved into trioses by aldolase B, bypassing the regulation of glycolytic pathways [66]. Fructose can enter the glycolytic/gluconeogenetic pathway continuously and uncontrollably, leading to the production of glucose, glycogen, lactate, and pyruvate [67], which suggests the importance of fructose in regulating metabolism in the liver. Thus, excessive intake of fructose from HFCS has been proposed as a potential factor contributing to epidemics of various health conditions such as T2DM, insulin resistance, obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and heart disease [68, 69, 70]. In addition, one previous study discovered that people who consumed a quarter of their energy in fructose had higher levels of visceral fat, which is a risk factor for metabolic syndrome, compared to obese diabetic individuals who consumed a quarter of their energy in glucose [71].
Taken together, excessive consumption of sucrose and HFCS may be a significant contributor to the rise in metabolic disorders such as overweight, insulin and leptin resistance, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia in plasma, liver, etc. Recent researches indicate that using natural alternative sweeteners as a substitute of sucrose and HFCS may improve metabolic disease symptoms including high blood sugar, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, and liver steatosis [72, 73, 74]. The aim of this review article is to promote research into better sugar consumption by providing insights into the effects of natural sweeteners as substitutes for sucrose and HFCS, which are known to have negative impacts on metabolic diseases. These natural sweeteners are explored for their potential to mitigate the adverse effects of added sugars and ultimately improve metabolic health.
Monosaccharides and disaccharides
With the emerging use of added sugars around the world, natural alternative sweeteners have become very popular, especially for the diabetic population. There has been a rise in the availability of products sweetened with sugar alcohols (polyols), which are commonly marketed to individuals with diabetes [75]. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol with 5 carbon atoms that has a lower GI and fewer calories than sucrose, making it an appealing option for those with diabetes [76]. Erythritol is a polyol with 4 carbon atoms and is about 60%–80% as sweet as sucrose. Both sugars are naturally found in fruits and vegetables and have gained popularity as alternative sweeteners [77]. In particular, xylitol has demonstrated its efficacy as a viable alternative for diabetic patients. It can help reduce visceral fat, which is one of the leading factors contributing to insulin resistance and the further progression of T2DM [78]. After feeding animals with xylitol (1–2 g/100 kcal) for 8 weeks, there was a decrease in visceral fat mass, and lipid metabolism was impacted [79]. In addition, xylitol taken orally was found to decrease plasma insulin levels and increase insulin sensitivity, while also increasing the production of adiponectin. The impact of xylitol on adipose tissue is still unclear as it is mainly metabolized by the liver, but there was a noticeable increase in the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) in the adipose tissue. This increase in PPARγ upregulated the expression of adiponectin and lipolysis [79].
D-Xylose is a type of monosaccharide that acts as an inhibitor of sucrase, which prevents the conversion of sucrose into glucose and fructose [80, 81]. D-Xylose is only partially broken down in the intestine and can undergo fermentation by bacteria [82, 83]. Administering a sucrose solution (2 g/kg) with D-xylose (0.1 g/kg) in normal rats resulted in significantly lower levels of blood glucose compared to rats that only received a sucrose solution [84]. In animal studies, D-xylose has been found to regulate blood glucose levels by promoting the regeneration of damaged pancreas and liver tissues and by regulating the expression of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, a key enzyme involved in the process of gluconeogenesis. In addition, in vitro studies have demonstrated that D-xylose can induce the uptake of glucose by muscle cells and stimulate insulin secretion by β-cells [85]. Bae et al. [80] demonstrated that the levels of blood glucose in healthy individuals were reduced at different time intervals (15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 45 minutes) after consuming a sucrose solution containing 5 g or 7.5 g of D-xylose. In addition, supplementing with D-xylose was discovered to decrease in weight gain, the weight of adipose tissue, and blood glucose levels, as well as an improvement in blood lipid profiles, and a reduction in hepatic lipogenesis and adipogenesis in mice were fed HFD with 5% or 10% of the total sucrose content supplemented with D-xylose, respectively, compared to HFD fed control mice [86].
Recently, rare sugars that occur naturally have been recognized as a new type of sweeteners. These sugars and their derivatives are naturally present in small amounts [87]. Four more naturally occurring monosaccharides, namely D-allulose, D-tagatose, D-sorbose, and D-allose, have gained attention due to their palatability, lack of unpleasant aftertaste, and low-calorie content when compared with sugar. These monosaccharides are either not fully metabolized or partly metabolized by humans [87]. D-Allulose (D-psicose, a C-3 epimer of D-fructose) is a sweetener that is structurally similar to D-fructose and has about 70% of the sweetness of sucrose, exhibiting almost zero calories. It is highly soluble and possesses antioxidant properties, making it a desirable ingredient for use in food manufacturing [88, 89, 90]. Diets containing 5% D-allulose, normalizes the metabolic state of dietary-induced obesity by improving lipid-regulating enzyme activity and gene expression levels related with lipid metabolism [91]. The use of D-allulose in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rats or Wistar rats was found to protect and maintain pancreatic β-islets by preventing fat accumulation and maintaining hyperglycemia [92, 93]. In a clinical trial with a limited number of participants, it was found that 5 g of D-allulose could decrease plasma glucose and insulin levels after consuming 75 g maltodextrin. D-Allulose can act as an inhibitor of sucrase and maltase in the intestine, thereby potentially improving postprandial hyperglycemia [94]. D-Tagatose has a similar structure to D-fructose, except for the reversal of an optically active center, and has received significant attention and interest due to its advantageous properties, particularly since it was approved as a food additive by the US FDA [95]. D-Tagatose has been shown to help regulate glucose levels and insulin secretion during a glucose tolerance test in rats. It does this by promoting the conversion of blood glucose to glycogen in the liver through the movement of glucokinase from the nucleus to the cytoplasm [96].
Xylobiose is a type of xylo-oligosaccharide that consists of 2 xylose molecules linked by a β-1,4 bond. It is a major component of xylo-oligosaccharides and has only 30% sweetness compared to sucrose [97]. Xylobiose has been shown to have anti-obesity properties by regulating metabolic changes associated with obesity such as fat accumulation and inflammation by down-regulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, fatty acid uptake, lipolysis, and β-oxidation-related gene expression levels in mesenteric fat in the mice received a 60% HFD supplemented with 15% xylobiose as part of the total sucrose content of the diet compared to HFD control. In addition, xylobiose supplementation has been shown to protect against HFD-induced steatosis by regulating the expression of hepatic lipogenesis-related genes [98]. Furthermore, xylobiose exhibits anti-diabetic, hypo-lipogenic, and anti-inflammatory effects through down-regulating de novo synthesis of FFAs and cholesterol and restoring miR-122a/33a axis in the liver in db/db mice [99].
Sucrose isomers
There are sucrose isomers, including trehalulose α (1→1), turanose α (1→3), maltulose α (1→4), leucrose α (1→5), and palatinose α (1→6) [100]. Recently, interest in functional evaluation studies for these sweeteners has increased as sugar substitutes.
Daily supplementation of palatinose (isomaltulose) up to 7.0 and 8.1 g/kg body weight in both male and female rats did not show adverse effects in 13-week subchronic toxicity study [101]. Palatinose is a dietary carbohydrate that serves as a source of energy and imparts sweetness to food products. Its energy content is similar to that of sucrose, but it has only about half the sweetness [102]. Palatinose is a famous disaccharide as a low-calorie and low-glycemic substance [102]. The GI of palatinose is 32, as indicated in the Sydney University GI database, which is significantly lower than the GI of sucrose (67) and glucose (100), thereby classifying palatinose as a low-GI carbohydrate with a GI of less than 55 [103]. Several studies have confirmed that palatinose has a low glycemic response in various populations, including healthy individuals, overweight or obese individuals, or T2DM [104, 105, 106]. These studies consistently show that palatinose leads to lower blood glucose responses compared to other sugars and also results in a reduction in blood insulin response. In addition, research has established the involvement of the incretin hormone GLP-1, which is released in response to distal carbohydrate absorption and plays a role in limiting the rise in blood glucose levels after a meal [104, 105]. The diet that includes palatinose and has immune-modulating properties was found to reduce inflammation by decreasing the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the bloodstream. Additionally, it was able to improve blood glucose levels in a gut ischemia-reperfusion model [107].
Leucrose which is composed of D-glucosyl-α(1-5)-D-fructopyranose is a naturally occurring sucrose isomer that can be found in sources such as honey and pollen [108, 109], having 40%–50% sweetness compared to sucrose [108]. Toxicological studies (13-week sub-acute) in rats and dogs have shown no toxic side effects [110]. Leucrose, similar to sucrose, can be hydrolyzed into glucose and fructose. However, it is digested more slowly than sucrose [110]. Previous studies have reported that leucrose has demonstrated potential to reduce obesity and lower lipid accumulation [111, 112]. Lee et al. [112] showed that replacing glucose with 50%, 75%, and 100% leucrose led to a reduction in lipid content in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, likely due to the down-regulation of adipogenic genes, when compared to cells treated with high glucose (25 mM). According to Lee et al. [111], when mice were given a HFD supplemented with leucrose replacing 25% or 50% of the total sucrose content, there was a reduction in fat accumulation in the liver. This effect was attributed to the suppression of lipogenesis and fat oxidation in obese mice.
Turanose, which is a sucrose isomer and found in honey, has a sweetness level of less than 50% compared to sucrose. It is composed of 3-O-α-D-glucosyl-D-fructose [113]. Studies on the toxicity of turanose have shown that the no-observed-adverse-effect-level for turanose is 7 g/kg/day. This suggests that turanose is a safe sugar for both short-term and long-term consumption [114]. The hydrolysis rate of turanose was found to be 54% of sucrose and 6% of maltose in a rat intestinal enzyme mixture, indicating that it is slowly digested in the small intestine. This slow digestion suggests that turanose may be a suitable low GI sweetener for individuals with metabolic disorders [100, 115, 116]. In the presence of high amounts of glucose in cell media, turanose substitution attenuated lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with turanose at concentrations representing 50%, 75%, and 100% of total glucose concentration in cell media significantly reduced lipid accumulation by 18%, 35%, and 72%, respectively, compared to high glucose control [117]. Studies have demonstrated that substituting glucose with turanose at concentrations representing 50%, 75%, and 100% in macrophage cells led to a reduction in lipopolysaccharide- and glucose-induced inflammation. This was achieved by down-regulating the production of inflammatory cytokines and nitric oxide [118].
Taken together, these natural alternative sweeteners can play functional sweeteners as sucrose substitutes for preventing and treating metabolic diseases (Table 1). Generally, natural alternative sweeteners appear to have more positive effects on glucose metabolism, lipid homeostasis, steatosis, and inflammation.
Table 1

Summary of the effects of natural low-intensity alternative sweeteners on metabolic diseases

Table 1
Types Sweeteners Effects on metabolic diseases References
Monosaccharides Xylitol • Reduced visceral fat mass and improved insulin resistance in SD rats [78, 79]
• Increased in PPARγ upregulated the expression of adiponectin and lipolysis in SD rats [79]
D-xylose • Regulated blood glucose by regulating glucose uptake in muscle cells from human skeletal muscle and gluconeogenesis in the liver in Wistar rats [84, 85]
• Induced glucose update in the skeletal muscle and stimulated insulin by β-cell in Wistar rats [85]
• Decreased weight gain and hepatic lipogenesis and adipogenesis in HFD-fed obesity mice [86]
D-allulose (D-psicose) • Normalized the metabolic state of dietary-induced obesity by improving lipid-regulating enzyme activity and gene expression levels related to lipid metabolism in HFD-fed obesity mice [91]
• Maintain pancreatic β-islets by preventing fat accumulation and maintaining hyperglycemia in vivo rat model [92, 93]
• Inhibited of sucrase and maltase in the intestine, thereby potentially improving postprandial hyperglycemia in twenty human subjects aged 20–39 yr [94]
D-tagatose • Regulated glucose levels and insulin secretion by promoting the conversion of blood glucose to glycogen in the liver in Wistar rats [96]
Disaccharides Xylobiose • Decreased fat accumulation and inflammation by down-regulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, fatty acid uptake, lipolysis, and β-oxidation-related gene expression levels in HFD-fed mice [98]
• Reduced de novo synthesis of FFAs and cholesterol and restoring miR-122a/33a axis in the liver in db/db mice [99]
Sucrose isomers Palatinose (isomaltulose) • Low glycemic response in ten healthy non-obese subjects, eleven patients with T2DM, and twenty overweight subjects [104, 105, 106]
• Decreased blood glucose and insulin levels in ten healthy non-obese subjects, eleven patients with T2DM [104, 105]
• Reduced inflammation by decreasing the presence of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the bloodstream in ICR mice [107]
Leucrose • Diminished lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells by down-regulating adipogenic genes compared to high glucose condition [112]
• Reduced fat accumulation in the liver in HFD-fed mice [111]
Turanose • Diminished lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 cells by down-regulating adipogenic genes compared to high glucose condition [117]
• Reduced inflammation induced by LPS and glucose in Raw 264.7 macrophage cells [118]
SD, Sprague-Dawley; PPARγ, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma; HFD, high-fat diet; FFA, free fatty acid; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; ICR, Institute of Cancer Research; LPS, lipopolysaccharide.
The use of natural alternative sweeteners as functional substitutes for sucrose can be beneficial in preventing and treating metabolic diseases. These sweeteners have been found to have varying effects on body weight, blood glucose, lipid metabolism, and anti-inflammatory pathways. It is important to note that the effects of natural alternative sweeteners may depend on the dose used. In general, natural alternative sweeteners appear to have more positive effects on glucose metabolism, lipid homeostasis, steatosis, and inflammation than sucrose. However, it is important to consider that there are some limitations to the current evidence, such as small sample sizes, short study durations, and a lack of clinical studies. While the available research provides valuable insights from cellular and animal models, the direct impact of these sweeteners on metabolic disease patients and their efficacy in clinical settings remain to be fully explored. The inclusion of well-designed clinical studies is necessary to provide more definitive evidence and establish the effectiveness of natural alternative sweeteners in managing metabolic diseases. Therefore, further research is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of natural alternative sweeteners on metabolic diseases, including glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and inflammation. Future studies should involve larger sample sizes of individuals with and without obesity or diabetes, and long-term evaluation of the effects of natural alternative sweeteners on metabolic disease. This will provide more robust evidence and contribute to a better understanding of the potential benefits and limitations of natural alternative sweeteners as a substitute for sucrose in the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases.

Conflict of Interest: The author declares that they have no competing interests.

  • 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US). Adult obesity facts. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2022.
  • 2. World Health Organization. WHO European regional obesity report 2022. Copenhagen: World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe; 2022.
  • 3. Lackey DE, Olefsky JM. Regulation of metabolism by the innate immune system. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2016;12:15-28.
  • 4. Priest C, Tontonoz P. Inter-organ cross-talk in metabolic syndrome. Nat Metab 2019;1:1177-1188.
  • 5. Colangeli L, Escobar Marcillo DI, Simonelli V, Iorio E, Rinaldi T, Sbraccia P, Fortini P, Guglielmi V. The crosstalk between gut microbiota and white adipose tissue mitochondria in obesity. Nutrients 2023;15:1723.
  • 6. Machado MV, Cortez-Pinto H. NAFLD, MAFLD and obesity: brothers in arms? Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 2023;20:67-68.
  • 7. Singh GM, Danaei G, Farzadfar F, Stevens GA, Woodward M, Wormser D, Kaptoge S, Whitlock G, Qiao Q, Lewington S, Di Angelantonio E, Vander Hoorn S, Lawes CM, Ali MK, Mozaffarian D, Ezzati M. Global Burden of Metabolic Risk Factors of Chronic Diseases Collaborating Group; Asia-Pacific Cohort Studies Collaboration (APCSC). Diabetes Epidemiology: Collaborative analysis of Diagnostic criteria in Europe (DECODE). Emerging Risk Factor Collaboration (ERFC). Prospective Studies Collaboration (PSC). The age-specific quantitative effects of metabolic risk factors on cardiovascular diseases and diabetes: a pooled analysis. PLoS One 2013;8:e65174.
  • 8. Aballay LR, Eynard AR, Díaz MP, Navarro A, Muñoz SE. Overweight and obesity: a review of their relationship to metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and cancer in South America. Nutr Rev 2013;71:168-179.
  • 9. Jeong SM, Kang MJ, Choi HN, Kim JH, Kim JI. Quercetin ameliorates hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia and improves antioxidant status in type 2 diabetic db/db mice. Nutr Res Pract 2012;6:201-207.
  • 10. Lauby-Secretan B, Scoccianti C, Loomis D, Grosse Y, Bianchini F, Straif K. International Agency for Research on Cancer Handbook Working Group. Body fatness and cancer—viewpoint of the IARC Working Group. N Engl J Med 2016;375:794-798.
  • 11. Avgerinos KI, Spyrou N, Mantzoros CS, Dalamaga M. Obesity and cancer risk: emerging biological mechanisms and perspectives. Metabolism 2019;92:121-135.
  • 12. Petrelli F, Cortellini A, Indini A, Tomasello G, Ghidini M, Nigro O, Salati M, Dottorini L, Iaculli A, Varricchio A, Rampulla V, Barni S, Cabiddu M, Bossi A, Ghidini A, Zaniboni A. Association of obesity with survival outcomes in patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open 2021;4:e213520.
  • 13. Jiang L, Tian W, Wang Y, Rong J, Bao C, Liu Y, Zhao Y, Wang C. Body mass index and susceptibility to knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Joint Bone Spine 2012;79:291-297.
  • 14. Herzog W. Reflections on obesity, exercise, and musculoskeletal health. J Sport Health Sci 2020;9:108-109.
  • 15. Wondmkun YT. Obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes: associations and therapeutic implications. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes 2020;13:3611-3616.
  • 16. Longo M, Zatterale F, Naderi J, Parrillo L, Formisano P, Raciti GA, Beguinot F, Miele C. Adipose tissue dysfunction as determinant of obesity-associated metabolic complications. Int J Mol Sci 2019;20:2358.
  • 17. Čolak E, Pap D. The role of oxidative stress in the development of obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders. J Med Biochem 2021;40:1-9.
  • 18. Forlani G, Giorda C, Manti R, Mazzella N, De Cosmo S, Rossi MC, Nicolucci A, Di Bartolo P, Ceriello A, Guida P. AMD-Annals Study Group. The burden of NAFLD and its characteristics in a nationwide population with type 2 diabetes. J Diabetes Res 2016;2016:2931985.
  • 19. Calzadilla Bertot L, Adams LA. The natural course of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Int J Mol Sci 2016;17:774.
  • 20. Rosso C, Kazankov K, Younes R, Esmaili S, Marietti M, Sacco M, Carli F, Gaggini M, Salomone F, Møller HJ, Abate ML, Vilstrup H, Gastaldelli A, George J, Grønbæk H, Bugianesi E. Crosstalk between adipose tissue insulin resistance and liver macrophages in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. J Hepatol 2019;71:1012-1021.
  • 21. Lonardo A, Ballestri S, Marchesini G, Angulo P, Loria P. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a precursor of the metabolic syndrome. Dig Liver Dis 2015;47:181-190.
  • 22. Adams LA, Lindor KD. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Ann Epidemiol 2007;17:863-869.
  • 23. Jimba S, Nakagami T, Takahashi M, Wakamatsu T, Hirota Y, Iwamoto Y, Wasada T. Prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its association with impaired glucose metabolism in Japanese adults. Diabet Med 2005;22:1141-1145.
  • 24. Kojta I, Chacińska M, Błachnio-Zabielska A. Obesity, bioactive lipids, and adipose tissue inflammation in insulin resistance. Nutrients 2020;12:1305.
  • 25. Qureshi K, Abrams GA. Metabolic liver disease of obesity and role of adipose tissue in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. World J Gastroenterol 2007;13:3540-3553.
  • 26. Azzu V, Vacca M, Virtue S, Allison M, Vidal-Puig A. Adipose tissue-liver cross talk in the control of whole-body metabolism: implications in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Gastroenterology 2020;158:1899-1912.
  • 27. Hazlehurst JM, Woods C, Marjot T, Cobbold JF, Tomlinson JW. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and diabetes. Metabolism 2016;65:1096-1108.
  • 28. Milić S, Lulić D, Štimac D. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and obesity: biochemical, metabolic and clinical presentations. World J Gastroenterol 2014;20:9330-9337.
  • 29. Felig P, Sherwin RS, Soman V, Wahren J, Hendler R, Sacca L, Eigler N, Goldberg D, Walesky M. Hormonal interactions in the regulation of blood glucose. Recent Prog Horm Res 1979;35:501-532.
  • 30. Mozaffarian D. Dietary and policy priorities for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity: a comprehensive review. Circulation 2016;133:187-225.
  • 31. Medina-Remón A, Kirwan R, Lamuela-Raventós RM, Estruch R. Dietary patterns and the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and neurodegenerative diseases. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2018;58:262-296.
  • 32. Romieu I, Dossus L, Barquera S, Blottière HM, Franks PW, Gunter M, Hwalla N, Hursting SD, Leitzmann M, Margetts B, Nishida C, Potischman N, Seidell J, Stepien M, Wang Y, Westerterp K, Winichagoon P, Wiseman M, Willett WC. IARC working group on Energy Balance and Obesity. Energy balance and obesity: what are the main drivers? Cancer Causes Control 2017;28:247-258.
  • 33. Jensen T, Abdelmalek MF, Sullivan S, Nadeau KJ, Green M, Roncal C, Nakagawa T, Kuwabara M, Sato Y, Kang DH, Tolan DR, Sanchez-Lozada LG, Rosen HR, Lanaspa MA, Diehl AM, Johnson RJ. Fructose and sugar: a major mediator of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. J Hepatol 2018;68:1063-1075.
  • 34. Stanhope KL. Sugar consumption, metabolic disease and obesity: the state of the controversy. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 2016;53:52-67.
  • 35. Bray GA, Popkin BM. Dietary sugar and body weight: have we reached a crisis in the epidemic of obesity and diabetes?: health be damned! Pour on the sugar. Diabetes Care 2014;37:950-956.
  • 36. Food and Drug Administration (US). Why are added sugars now listed on the nutrition facts label? [Internet]. cited 2023 April 11. Available from https://www.fda.gov/food/new-nutrition-facts-label/added-sugars-new-nutrition-facts-label#:~:text=The%20Dietary%20Guidelines%20for%20Americans,of%20added%20sugars%20per%20day
  • 37. Van Horn L, Carson JA, Appel LJ, Burke LE, Economos C, Karmally W, Lancaster K, Lichtenstein AH, Johnson RK, Thomas RJ, Vos M, Wylie-Rosett J, Kris-Etherton P. American Heart Association Nutrition Committee of the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health. Council on Cardiovascular Disease in the Young. Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing. Council on Clinical Cardiology. Stroke Council. Recommended dietary pattern to achieve adherence to the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) guidelines: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2016;134:e505-e529.
  • 38. United States Department of Agriculture. Sugar and sweetener yearbook tables. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Agriculture; 2018.
  • 39. Mathias KC, Slining MM, Popkin BM. Foods and beverages associated with higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages. Am J Prev Med 2013;44:351-357.
  • 40. Kopp W. How western diet and lifestyle drive the pandemic of obesity and civilization diseases. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes 2019;12:2221-2236.
  • 41. White JS. Straight talk about high-fructose corn syrup: what it is and what it ain’t. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;88:1716S-21S.
  • 42. White JS. Challenging the fructose hypothesis: new perspectives on fructose consumption and metabolism. Adv Nutr 2013;4:246-256.
  • 43. Teff KL, Elliott SS, Tschöp M, Kieffer TJ, Rader D, Heiman M, Townsend RR, Keim NL, D’Alessio D, Havel PJ. Dietary fructose reduces circulating insulin and leptin, attenuates postprandial suppression of ghrelin, and increases triglycerides in women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004;89:2963-2972.
  • 44. Rippe JM. The health implications of sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, and fructose: what do we really know? J Diabetes Sci Technol 2010;4:1008-1011.
  • 45. Stanhope KL, Havel PJ. Endocrine and metabolic effects of consuming beverages sweetened with fructose, glucose, sucrose, or high-fructose corn syrup. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;88:1733S-7S.
  • 46. Hanover LM, White JS. Manufacturing, composition, and applications of fructose. Am J Clin Nutr 1993;58:724S-32S.
  • 47. Peters S, Rose T, Moser M.. Sucrose: a prospering and sustainable organic raw material. Top Curr Chem 2010;294:1-23.
  • 48. Rosensweig NS, Herman RH. Control of jejunal sucrase and maltase activity by dietary sucrose or fructose in man. A model for the study of enzyme regulation in man. J Clin Invest 1968;47:2253-2262.
  • 49. Chain EB, Mansford KR, Pocchiari F. The absorption of sucrose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides from the isolated rat small intestine. J Physiol 1960;154:39-51.
  • 50. Gray GM. Carbohydrate digestion and absorption. Role of the small intestine. N Engl J Med 1975;292:1225-1230.
  • 51. Raben A, Vasilaras TH, Møller AC, Astrup A. Sucrose compared with artificial sweeteners: different effects on ad libitum food intake and body weight after 10 wk of supplementation in overweight subjects. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:721-729.
  • 52. Storlien LH, Kraegen EW, Jenkins AB, Chisholm DJ. Effects of sucrose vs starch diets on in vivo insulin action, thermogenesis, and obesity in rats. Am J Clin Nutr 1988;47:420-427.
  • 53. Goodson S, Halford JC, Jackson HC, Blundell JE. Paradoxical effects of a high sucrose diet: high energy intake and reduced body weight gain. Appetite 2001;37:253-254.
  • 54. Grant KI, Marais MP, Dhansay MA. Sucrose in a lipid-rich meal amplifies the postprandial excursion of serum and lipoprotein triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations by decreasing triglyceride clearance. Am J Clin Nutr 1994;59:853-860.
  • 55. Kanazawa M, Xue CY, Kageyama H, Suzuki E, Ito R, Namba Y, Osaka T, Kimura S, Inoue S. Effects of a high-sucrose diet on body weight, plasma triglycerides, and stress tolerance. Nutr Rev 2003;61:S27-S33.
  • 56. Keno Y, Matsuzawa Y, Tokunaga K, Fujioka S, Kawamoto T, Kobatake T, Tarui S. High sucrose diet increases visceral fat accumulation in VMH-lesioned obese rats. Int J Obes 1991;15:205-211.
  • 57. Rovenko BM, Kubrak OI, Gospodaryov DV, Perkhulyn NV, Yurkevych IS, Sanz A, Lushchak OV, Lushchak VI. High sucrose consumption promotes obesity whereas its low consumption induces oxidative stress in Drosophila melanogaster. J Insect Physiol 2015;79:42-54.
  • 58. Forshee RA, Storey ML, Allison DB, Glinsmann WH, Hein GL, Lineback DR, Miller SA, Nicklas TA, Weaver GA, White JS. A critical examination of the evidence relating high fructose corn syrup and weight gain. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2007;47:561-582.
  • 59. Rippe JM, Angelopoulos TJ. Sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, and fructose, their metabolism and potential health effects: what do we really know? Adv Nutr 2013;4:236-245.
  • 60. Goran MI, Ulijaszek SJ, Ventura EE. High fructose corn syrup and diabetes prevalence: a global perspective. Glob Public Health 2013;8:55-64.
  • 61. Bocarsly ME, Powell ES, Avena NM, Hoebel BG. High-fructose corn syrup causes characteristics of obesity in rats: increased body weight, body fat and triglyceride levels. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2010;97:101-106.
  • 62. Alzamendi A, Giovambattista A, Raschia A, Madrid V, Gaillard RC, Rebolledo O, Gagliardino JJ, Spinedi E. Fructose-rich diet-induced abdominal adipose tissue endocrine dysfunction in normal male rats. Endocrine 2009;35:227-232.
  • 63. Melanson KJ, Angelopoulos TJ, Nguyen V, Zukley L, Lowndes J, Rippe JM. High-fructose corn syrup, energy intake, and appetite regulation. Am J Clin Nutr 2008;88:1738S-44S.
  • 64. Shapiro A, Mu W, Roncal C, Cheng KY, Johnson RJ, Scarpace PJ. Fructose-induced leptin resistance exacerbates weight gain in response to subsequent high-fat feeding. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2008;295:R1370-R1375.
  • 65. Le MT, Frye RF, Rivard CJ, Cheng J, McFann KK, Segal MS, Johnson RJ, Johnson JA. Effects of high-fructose corn syrup and sucrose on the pharmacokinetics of fructose and acute metabolic and hemodynamic responses in healthy subjects. Metabolism 2012;61:641-651.
  • 66. Mayes PA. Intermediary metabolism of fructose. Am J Clin Nutr 1993;58:754S-65S.
  • 67. Spruss A, Bergheim I. Dietary fructose and intestinal barrier: potential risk factor in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. J Nutr Biochem 2009;20:657-662.
  • 68. Havel PJ. Dietary fructose: implications for dysregulation of energy homeostasis and lipid/carbohydrate metabolism. Nutr Rev 2005;63:133-157.
  • 69. Elliott SS, Keim NL, Stern JS, Teff K, Havel PJ. Fructose, weight gain, and the insulin resistance syndrome. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;76:911-922.
  • 70. Dhingra R, Sullivan L, Jacques PF, Wang TJ, Fox CS, Meigs JB, D’Agostino RB, Gaziano JM, Vasan RS. Soft drink consumption and risk of developing cardiometabolic risk factors and the metabolic syndrome in middle-aged adults in the community. Circulation 2007;116:480-488.
  • 71. Stanhope KL, Schwarz JM, Keim NL, Griffen SC, Bremer AA, Graham JL, Hatcher B, Cox CL, Dyachenko A, Zhang W, McGahan JP, Seibert A, Krauss RM, Chiu S, Schaefer EJ, Ai M, Otokozawa S, Nakajima K, Nakano T, Beysen C, Hellerstein MK, Berglund L, Havel PJ. Consuming fructose-sweetened, not glucose-sweetened, beverages increases visceral adiposity and lipids and decreases insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese humans. J Clin Invest 2009;119:1322-1334.
  • 72. Reyna NY, Cano C, Bermúdez VJ, Medina MT, Souki AJ, Ambard M, Nuñez M, Ferrer MA, Inglett GE. Sweeteners and beta-glucans improve metabolic and anthropometrics variables in well controlled type 2 diabetic patients. Am J Ther 2003;10:438-443.
  • 73. Gregersen S, Jeppesen PB, Holst JJ, Hermansen K. Antihyperglycemic effects of stevioside in type 2 diabetic subjects. Metabolism 2004;53:73-76.
  • 74. Stanhope KL. Sugar consumption, metabolic disease and obesity: the state of the controversy. Crit Rev Clin Lab Sci 2016;53:52-67.
  • 75. Wolever TM, Piekarz A, Hollands M, Younker K. Sugar alcohols and diabetes: a review. Can J Diabetes 2002;26:356-362.
  • 76. Chukwuma CI, Islam MS. Effects of xylitol on carbohydrate digesting enzymes activity, intestinal glucose absorption and muscle glucose uptake: a multi-mode study. Food Funct 2015;6:955-962.
  • 77. Boesten DM, Berger A, de Cock P, Dong H, Hammock BD, den Hartog GJ, Bast A. Multi-targeted mechanisms underlying the endothelial protective effects of the diabetic-safe sweetener erythritol. PLoS One 2013;8:e65741.
  • 78. Rahman MA, Islam MS. Xylitol improves pancreatic islets morphology to ameliorate type 2 diabetes in rats: a dose response study. J Food Sci 2014;79:H1436-H1442.
  • 79. Amo K, Arai H, Uebanso T, Fukaya M, Koganei M, Sasaki H, Yamamoto H, Taketani Y, Takeda E. Effects of xylitol on metabolic parameters and visceral fat accumulation. J Clin Biochem Nutr 2011;49:1-7.
  • 80. Bae YJ, Bak YK, Kim B, Kim MS, Lee JH, Sung MK. Coconut-derived D-xylose affects postprandial glucose and insulin responses in healthy individuals. Nutr Res Pract 2011;5:533-539.
  • 81. Seri K, Sanai K, Matsuo N, Kawakubo K, Xue C, Inoue S. L-arabinose selectively inhibits intestinal sucrase in an uncompetitive manner and suppresses glycemic response after sucrose ingestion in animals. Metabolism 1996;45:1368-1374.
  • 82. Fordtran JS, Soergel KH, Ingelfinger FJ. Intestinal absorption of D-xylose in man. N Engl J Med 1962;267:274-279.
  • 83. Haeney MR, Culank LS, Montgomery RD, Sammons HG. Evaluation of xylose absorption as measured in blood and urine: a one-hour blood xylose screening test in malabsorption. Gastroenterology 1978;75:393-400.
  • 84. Gruzman A, Shamni O, Ben Yakir M, Sandovski D, Elgart A, Alpert E, Cohen G, Hoffman A, Katzhendler Y, Cerasi E, Sasson S. Novel D-xylose derivatives stimulate muscle glucose uptake by activating AMP-activated protein kinase alpha. J Med Chem 2008;51:8096-8108.
  • 85. Kim E, Kim YS, Kim KM, Jung S, Yoo SH, Kim Y. D-Xylose as a sugar complement regulates blood glucose levels by suppressing phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPCK) in streptozotocin-nicotinamide-induced diabetic rats and by enhancing glucose uptake in vitro. Nutr Res Pract 2016;10:11-18.
  • 86. Lim E, Lim JY, Shin JH, Seok PR, Jung S, Yoo SH, Kim Y. D-Xylose suppresses adipogenesis and regulates lipid metabolism genes in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. Nutr Res 2015;35:626-636.
  • 87. Mooradian AD, Smith M, Tokuda M. The role of artificial and natural sweeteners in reducing the consumption of table sugar: a narrative review. Clin Nutr ESPEN 2017;18:1-8.
  • 88. Sun Y, Hayakawa S, Izumori K. Modification of ovalbumin with a rare ketohexose through the Maillard reaction: effect on protein structure and gel properties. J Agric Food Chem 2004;52:1293-1299.
  • 89. Sun Y, Hayakawa S, Chuamanochan M, Fujimoto M, Innun A, Izumori K. Antioxidant effects of Maillard reaction products obtained from ovalbumin and different D-aldohexoses. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2006;70:598-605.
  • 90. Matsuo T, Suzuki H, Hashiguchi M, Izumori K. D-psicose is a rare sugar that provides no energy to growing rats. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 2002;48:77-80.
  • 91. Han Y, Han HJ, Kim AH, Choi JY, Cho SJ, Park YB, Jung UJ, Choi MS. d-Allulose supplementation normalized the body weight and fat-pad mass in diet-induced obese mice via the regulation of lipid metabolism under isocaloric fed condition. Mol Nutr Food Res 2016;60:1695-1706.
  • 92. Hossain A, Yamaguchi F, Matsunaga T, Hirata Y, Kamitori K, Dong Y, Sui L, Tsukamoto I, Ueno M, Tokuda M. Rare sugar D-psicose protects pancreas β-islets and thus improves insulin resistance in OLETF rats. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2012;425:717-723.
  • 93. Matsuo T, Izumori K. Effects of dietary D-psicose on diurnal variation in plasma glucose and insulin concentrations of rats. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 2006;70:2081-2085.
  • 94. Iida T, Kishimoto Y, Yoshikawa Y, Hayashi N, Okuma K, Tohi M, Yagi K, Matsuo T, Izumori K. Acute D-psicose administration decreases the glycemic responses to an oral maltodextrin tolerance test in normal adults. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 2008;54:511-514.
  • 95. Ferreira SS. Biotechnological processes for D-tagatose production [Master’s thesis]. Braga: Universidade do Minho; 2019.
  • 96. Shintani T, Yamada T, Hayashi N, Iida T, Nagata Y, Ozaki N, Toyoda Y. Rare sugar syrup containing D-allulose but not high-fructose corn syrup maintains glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity partly via hepatic glucokinase translocation in Wistar rats. J Agric Food Chem 2017;65:2888-2894.
  • 97. Vázquez MJ, Alonso JL, Domínguez H, Parajó JC. M.J. Va’zquez JLA. Xylooligosaccharides: manufacture and applications. Trends Food Sci Technol 2000;11:387-393.
  • 98. Lim SM, Kim E, Shin JH, Seok PR, Jung S, Yoo SH, Kim Y. Xylobiose prevents high-fat diet induced mice obesity by suppressing mesenteric fat deposition and metabolic dysregulation. Molecules 2018;23:705.
  • 99. Lim E, Lim JY, Kim E, Kim YS, Shin JH, Seok PR, Jung S, Yoo SH, Kim Y. Xylobiose, an alternative sweetener, ameliorates diabetes-related metabolic changes by regulating hepatic lipogenesis and miR-122a/33a in db/db mice. Nutrients 2016;8:791.
  • 100. Pikis A, Immel S, Robrish SA, Thompson J. Metabolism of sucrose and its five isomers by Fusobacterium mortiferum . Microbiology 2002;148:843-852.
  • 101. Jonker D, Lina BA, Kozianowski G. 13-Week oral toxicity study with isomaltulose (palatinose) in rats. Food Chem Toxicol 2002;40:1383-1389.
  • 102. Lina BA, Jonker D, Kozianowski G. Isomaltulose (palatinose): a review of biological and toxicological studies. Food Chem Toxicol 2002;40:1375-1381.
  • 103. University of Sydney. Glycaemic index research service 2020 [Internet]. cited 2023 April 13. Available from www.glycemicindex.com
  • 104. Maeda A, Miyagawa J, Miuchi M, Nagai E, Konishi K, Matsuo T, Tokuda M, Kusunoki Y, Ochi H, Murai K, Katsuno T, Hamaguchi T, Harano Y, Namba M. Effects of the naturally-occurring disaccharides, palatinose and sucrose, on incretin secretion in healthy non-obese subjects. J Diabetes Investig 2013;4:281-286.
  • 105. Ang M, Linn T. Comparison of the effects of slowly and rapidly absorbed carbohydrates on postprandial glucose metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: a randomized trial. Am J Clin Nutr 2014;100:1059-1068.
  • 106. König D, Theis S, Kozianowski G, Berg A. Postprandial substrate use in overweight subjects with the metabolic syndrome after isomaltulose (Palatinose™) ingestion. Nutrition 2012;28:651-656.
  • 107. Nakamura K, Ogawa S, Dairiki K, Fukatsu K, Sasaki H, Kaneko T, Yamaji T. A new immune-modulating diet enriched with whey-hydrolyzed peptide, fermented milk, and isomaltulose attenuates gut ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice. Clin Nutr 2011;30:513-516.
  • 108. Elias PS, Benecke H, Schwengers D. Safety evaluation studies of leucrose. J Am Coll Toxicol 1996;15:205-218.
  • 109. Stodola FH, Koepsell HJ, Sharpe ES. A new disaccharide produced by Leuconostoc mesenteroides . J Am Chem Soc 1952;74:3202-3203.
  • 110. Ziesenitz SC, Siebert G, Schwengers D, Lemmes R. Nutritional assessment in humans and rats of leucrose [D-glucopyranosyl-alpha(1----5)-D-fructopyranose] as a sugar substitute. J Nutr 1989;119:971-978.
  • 111. Lee J, Kim E, Kim Y, Yoo SH. Leucrose, a sucrose isomer, suppresses hepatic fat accumulation by regulating hepatic lipogenesis and fat oxidation in high-fat diet-induced obese mice. J Cancer Prev 2018;23:99-106.
  • 112. Lee D, Lee J, Hong MG, Lee BH, Kim YM, Chang PS, Kim Y, Yoo SH. Optimization of leucrose production by dextransucrase from Streptococcus mutans and its application as an adipogenesis regulator. J Funct Foods 2017;39:238-244.
  • 113. Ruiz-Aceituno L, Hernandez-Hernandez O, Kolida S, Moreno FJ, Methven L. Sweetness and sensory properties of commercial and novel oligosaccharides of prebiotic potential. Lebensm Wiss Technol 2018;97:476-482.
  • 114. Chung JY, Lee J, Lee D, Kim E, Shin JH, Seok PR, Yoo SH, Kim Y. Acute and 13-week subchronic toxicological evaluations of turanose in mice. Nutr Res Pract 2017;11:452-460.
  • 115. Thompson J, Robrish SA, Pikis A, Brust A, Lichtenthaler FW. Phosphorylation and metabolism of sucrose and its five linkage-isomeric alpha-D-glucosyl-D-fructoses by Klebsiella pneumoniae. Carbohydr Res 2001;331:149-161.
  • 116. Dahlqvist A, Lindberg E, Kull G, Lindberg B. Characterization of hog intestinal invertase as a glucosido-invertase. Acta Chem Scand 1960;14:63-71.
  • 117. Park MO, Lee BH, Lim E, Lim JY, Kim Y, Park CS, Lee HG, Kang HK, Yoo SH. Enzymatic process for high-yield turanose production and its potential property as an adipogenesis regulator. J Agric Food Chem 2016;64:4758-4764.
  • 118. Chung JY, Kim YS, Kim Y, Yoo SH. Regulation of inflammation by sucrose isomer, turanose, in Raw 264.7 cells. J Cancer Prev 2017;22:195-201.

Download Citation

Download a citation file in RIS format that can be imported by all major citation management software, including EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and Reference Manager.

Format:

Include:

Effects of Natural Alternative Sweeteners on Metabolic Diseases
Clin Nutr Res. 2023;12(3):229-243.   Published online July 26, 2023
Download Citation

Download a citation file in RIS format that can be imported by all major citation management software, including EndNote, ProCite, RefWorks, and Reference Manager.

Format:
Include:
Effects of Natural Alternative Sweeteners on Metabolic Diseases
Clin Nutr Res. 2023;12(3):229-243.   Published online July 26, 2023
Close
Effects of Natural Alternative Sweeteners on Metabolic Diseases
Effects of Natural Alternative Sweeteners on Metabolic Diseases
Table 1 Summary of the effects of natural low-intensity alternative sweeteners on metabolic diseases

SD, Sprague-Dawley; PPARγ, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma; HFD, high-fat diet; FFA, free fatty acid; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; ICR, Institute of Cancer Research; LPS, lipopolysaccharide.