Why sweet taste might make you crave carbs
The cephalic phase insulin response to nutritive and low-calorie sweeteners in solid and beverage form.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
When some people taste sweet things—even sugar-free ones—their body sometimes tricks itself into thinking sugar is coming and releases insulin early. This can make blood sugar drop too low, making them hungrier for carbs.
Surprising Findings
Sucralose triggered insulin spikes as strong as real sugar in some people—even though it has zero calories.
For years, we’ve been told artificial sweeteners don’t affect insulin. This study shows they can—especially in solid form—and in nearly half the population.
Practical Takeaways
If you crave carbs after sugar-free snacks, switch from gumdrops or mints to diet soda or unsweetened drinks.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
When some people taste sweet things—even sugar-free ones—their body sometimes tricks itself into thinking sugar is coming and releases insulin early. This can make blood sugar drop too low, making them hungrier for carbs.
Surprising Findings
Sucralose triggered insulin spikes as strong as real sugar in some people—even though it has zero calories.
For years, we’ve been told artificial sweeteners don’t affect insulin. This study shows they can—especially in solid form—and in nearly half the population.
Practical Takeaways
If you crave carbs after sugar-free snacks, switch from gumdrops or mints to diet soda or unsweetened drinks.
Publication
Journal
Physiology & behavior
Year
2017
Authors
Jaapna Dhillon, Janice Lee, R. Mattes
Related Content
Claims (6)
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.
Even though tasting artificial sweetener makes some people’s bodies release insulin, it doesn’t make them feel hungrier or change their blood sugar right after—so the insulin spike doesn’t seem to do anything noticeable yet.
Non-nutritive sweeteners elicit cephalic-phase insulin release in humans independent of carbohydrate content, leading to postprandial hypoglycemia and increased carbohydrate craving.
When overweight people taste a solid sweet made with artificial sweetener (like sucralose), their bodies sometimes release insulin right away—even though there are no calories—just like when they taste real sugar.
Chewing a sweet solid (like a gumdrop) makes your body release more insulin right away than just drinking the same sweet taste, no matter if it’s sugar or artificial sweetener.