These days many people have started using several sweeteners like stevia instead of sugar. Sugar is unhealthy and increases the risk of diabetes and obesity. But the part of the brain known as the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT) has the ability to react and differentiate between various sweet substances. Researchers from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology in China tried to understand how the brains of mice reacted to different sweeteners such as stevia, glycyrrhizin, mogroside and xylitol.
A recent study published in Neuroscience Research has revealed that the brain of a mouse responds similarly to a natural sweetener named stevia as it responds to sugar. This shows that stevia can be used as an alternative to sugar. Stevia is obtained from the leaves of plants and used as a sweetener in many foods. It tastes like sugar but has fewer calories. It also does not affect blood sugar levels as sugar does.
This research was conducted on mice for six weeks. Researchers gave these mice different diets with high sugar or one of these sweeteners. They tried to understand how the neurons reacted to these sweeteners by using a special technique known as in vivo fluorescence calcium imaging. This technique helped researchers understand the changes in calcium levels within cells.
When researchers collected the data and observed it, they found that the neurons in the mice’s brains that consumed stevia reacted similarly to how they reacted to sugar. This shows that stevia tastes more like sugar to the brain as compared to other sweeteners such as glycyrrhizin, mogroside and xylitol.
The researchers of this study suggest that food or drink companies should use stevia instead of sugar in their advertisements, as this will help people stay healthy. This change will make people eat fewer calories and reduce the risk of obesity. As this research shows, the brains of mice reacted similarly to stevia as sugar. Researchers also want to know how well it works in humans to reduce the risk of diabetes and obesity.
Reference Link:
Shaolei Jiang et al, Neuronal activity in the anterior paraventricular nucleus of thalamus positively correlated with sweetener consumption in mice, Neuroscience Research (2024).
