The Effect of Lactisole on the Responses to Glucose Solution

Overview

The purpose of the study is to determine whether the sweet taste receptors in the gut are involved in sensing sweet substances and controlling appetite and the amount we eat. Lactisole is a substance commonly used in food products to reduce the perceived sweetness of certain sugars and sweeteners. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the responses to a glucose solution, intragastrically administered to healthy male and female volunteers, is affected by the presence of lactisole in the gut. Understanding the mechanisms by which nutrients are initially detected in the gut and how they influence food intake is critical to the development of novel food products that could reduce food consumption.

Obesity is epidemically prevalent and a major risk factor for chronic diseases making it fundamental to understand the pathways controlling food intake. During the course of a meal and afterwards the gut and brain communicate to control how full the eater feels and thus control the amount of food eaten. The information relayed from the gut to the brain regarding ingested nutrients is of increasing importance and understanding the mechanisms by which nutrient molecules are initially detected in the gut and how they signal to the brain to influence food intake is critical to the development of novel food products that could induce fullness and reduce food consumption. Increasing our understanding of how nutrients are sensed in the gut and how this may influence subsequent food intake provides promising targets for obesity prevention and treatment. Recent discoveries have shown that sweet taste receptors similar to those located in the tongue are present in the gut. It is suggested that theses receptors are involved in the way nutrients are sensed and may play an important role in appetite control and food intake.