Hygeia Public Health 2016, 51(2): 226-230en

Effect of sweet flavor carrier on T3/rT3 ratio, plasma and liver total cholesterol level in rats

Ewelina Pałkowska-Goździk, Sylwia Biegańska-Hensoldt, Danuta Rosołowska-Huszcz

Katedra Dietetyki, Wydział Nauk o Żywieniu Człowieka i Konsumpcji, SGGW w Warszawie

Summary
Introduction. The impact of artificial sweeteners on health is still a matter of controversy among healthcare professionals, and their effect on the thyroid activity - a major regulator of metabolism, including lipid metabolism - has not been previously studied.
Aim. To determine the effect of sweet type flavor carrier on the T3/rT3 ratio, plasma and hepatic total cholesterol levels in rats at fasting and postprandial state.
Material & method. The experiment was performed on 56 male 8-week old Sprague-Dawley rats (initial body weight 325±19 g) divided into 4 groups. During a 3-week period, rats received isoenergetic diets, one of which was non-sweet (NS) and three with the same sweet flavor intensity corresponding to 10% of sucrose. The sweet flavor carriers were as follows: sucrose (SC) and high-intensity sweeteners: aspartame (AS) and sucralose (SU).
Results. The obtained results indicate that the type of the sweet flavor carrier affects the T3/rT3 ratio, concentration of total cholesterol and its level in the rat liver. The T3/rT3 at fast in SC was higher than in NS, AS, and SU, while there were no significant differences between them. After the meal, T3/rT3 ratio in AS and SU were lower than in other groups. The highest plasma concentration and hepatic content of total cholesterol were noted in SU, and despite the fact that only in this group the hepatic cholesterol level decreased postprandially, it still remained higher than in NS and SC.
Conclusion. Sucrose stimulates the peripheral thyroid hormone activation, while the impact of diet with the high-intensity sweeteners and a non-sweet diet on thyroid hormone metabolism did not differ significantly. The chronic use of diet with aspartame and sucralose might promote hepatic cholesterol accumulation.

Key words:  thyroid hormones, total cholesterol level, sucrose, artificial sweeteners