Sweetness preference and eating behaviors in habitual and non-habitual consumers of low-calorie sweetened products

Low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) are widely used as substitutes for sugar, yet their potential long-term effects on sweet taste preferences and eating behaviors are not well understood. This cross-sectional study examined whether habitual LCS consumption is associated with increased sweetness preference, sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake, food cravings, and eating behavior traits. Healthy adults aged 18–64 were categorized as habitual (≥ 5 LCS containing products/week, n = 44) or non-habitual (< 1 LCS containing product/week, n = 45) LCS consumers. Sweetness preference for sucrose and sucralose was assessed using the Monell two-series forced-choice paired-comparison method, while food cravings, eating behaviors, and beverage intake were measured using validated questionnaires (Food Craving Inventory, Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, and Beverage Intake Questionnaire). Preferred sweetness concentration did not differ between groups for sucrose ( p = 0.9) or sucralose ( p = 0.7). Groups also did not differ in food cravings frequency ( p = 0.6), or daily SSB intake ( p = 0.5). However, habitual LCS consumers showed significantly higher restrained eating ( p = 0.03), whereas emotional and external eating did not differ between groups. These findings do not support the hypothesis that habitual LCS use is associated with altered sweetness preference or lower SSB intake. Instead, high LCS consumption may be associated with eating behavior that have been linked to overeating.