Some people’s bodies react to sweet tastes by releasing insulin right away—even if it’s fake sugar—but others don’t, and we don’t yet know why.

Pro

Against

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

Community contributions welcome

The cephalic phase insulin response to nutritive and low-calorie sweeteners in solid and beverage form.

Randomized Controlled Trial

Human

2017 Nov 1

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

The cephalic phase insulin response to nutritive and low-calorie sweeteners in solid and beverage form.

Score: 48

DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.09.009

Similar Assertions

Non-nutritive sweeteners elicit cephalic-phase insulin release in humans independent of carbohydrate content, leading to postprandial hypoglycemia and increased carbohydrate craving.

74%

Even after eating artificial sweeteners or sugar every day for two weeks, people’s bodies still react the same way to the taste—no more, no less insulin is released when they taste it.

73%

Even artificial sweeteners that don’t contain sugar can make some people’s bodies release insulin just from tasting them.

71%