Kathleen Page, MD, on Appetite-Suppressing Hormones in Sucrose vs Glucose

Sucrose does not signal postprandial satiety as efficiently as glucose, according to recent data.

The study examined 69 adults [29 male; 23.22 ± 3.74 years; BMI 27.03 ± 4.96 kg/m²] who completed the study; participants consumed a drink containing 75 grams of either glucose or sucrose. Researchers took blood samples at baseline, 10 minutes, 35 minutes, and 120 minutes post-consumption to measure plasma glucose, insulin, glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1), peptide YY total, and acyl-ghrelin.

Overall, sucrose provoked a less robust rise in glucose (P<0.0001), insulin (P<0.0001), GLP-1 (P<0.0001), and peptide YY (P=0.02) when compared with glucose. Acyl-ghrelin suppression was similar between both sugars. When compared with glucose, obese study participants saw more modest increases in glucose and peptide YY levels after consuming sucrose.

Kathleen Page, MD, an endocrinologist and researcher at Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, was a co-author of the paper, which was published in the The Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism. She recently discussed the study and its findings with MedPage Today. The exchange has been edited for length and clarity.

What was the key question or knowledge gap the study was designed to address?

Page: My team has been researching whether the type of sugar that people consume affects hormones that help suppress hunger. We have also looked at subgroups of people with different levels of BMI, sex, and insulin sensitivity to see if these biological factors would influence a person's hormone responses to the different types of sugar.

What were your key findings?

Page: We found that sucrose is not as effective at increasing hunger-suppressing hormones when compared to glucose. People with obesity were less efficient at responding to sucrose than people who were not obese; this was also true for people with low insulin sensitivity. In terms of biological sex, we found differences in one hormone, but otherwise males and females responded similarly.

Does this finding have any implications for clinicians?

Page: It's important to keep in mind that this study was done over a 2-hour time course, so we don't know yet what the longer-term differences are and how they might affect body weight and health outcomes in the long term.

While we found that sucrose was less effective at increasing hunger-suppressing hormones, at least in the short term, all added sugars (whether glucose or sucrose or other types) should be consumed in moderation. The best way to reduce added sugars in the diet is to limit processed foods and beverages and to try to eat more whole, unprocessed foods, such as whole fruits and vegetables.

Where do you believe more study is needed on this topic?

Page: Knowing these differences occur in healthy, young adults sets the stage for future studies to examine how sucrose, when compared with glucose, impacts appetite-regulating hormones in other age groups and in people with health conditions, such as diabetes. Longer studies are also necessary to know how these differences translate into body weight control and overall health.

You can read the study here and expert clinical commentary on the clinical implications here.