Public health advice has long suggested that cutting back on sweet-tasting foods might help people prefer less sweetness over time. But a new clinical trial challenges that idea, finding no meaningful change in sweet cravings or health risks when people changed how much sweetness they ate.
Researchers from Wageningen University in the Netherlands and Bournemouth University in the UK followed 180 adults for six months. Participants were assigned to diets that were high, low or moderate in sweetness. Importantly, the sweetness came from a mix of sources: sugar, naturally sweet foods and low-calorie sweeteners.
At one, three and six months, researchers measured how much participants liked sweet foods, how intense sweetness tasted and whether any shifts in preference had emerged. They also tracked weight, blood sugar markers, cholesterol and indicators of cardiovascular and diabetes risk.
The result: nothing budged.
“It’s not about eating less sweet food to reduce obesity levels,” said corresponding author Katherine Appleton. “The health concerns relate to sugar consumption.”
Across all groups, participants’ sweet preference stayed stable, and metabolic health markers did not differ. Many people also drifted back toward their usual patterns of sweet intake, regardless of their assigned diet.
The researchers say the findings highlight an important distinction for both the public and policymakers. Sweetness itself is not the problem. The issue is added sugars and energy-dense foods that can contribute to weight gain and chronic disease.
Some foods that taste sweet, like fruit and dairy, are associated with health benefits. Others, like fast-food items that don’t taste sweet at all, can contain hidden sugars.
The authors suggest public recommendations may need to shift toward helping people identify and reduce added sugars rather than reducing sweet-tasting foods across the board.
The study, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was supported through a Dutch government public-private research program and contributions from several food and beverage companies. Study design, progress and publication decisions were guided by an independent steering committee of academic scientists.