An interventional study of Dietary advice - Sweet taste and Dietary advice - Taste in Dietary Behavior, Free Sugar and Sweet Taste, sponsored by Bournemouth University. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-23.
Sponsored by Bournemouth University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
This randomised controlled trial aims to assess the effects of three different taste-based dietary recommendations for reducing free sugar intakes on free sugar consumption in UK high free sugar consumers.
This 12-week, 3-arm randomised controlled trial aims to assess the effects of three different taste-based food and beverage substitution instructions for reducing free sugar intakes on free sugar consumption in high free sugar consumers. A total of 180 adult community members residing in Bournemouth and the surrounding areas will be recruited. All participants will be asked to reduce their intakes of free sugar and replace sweet, high-free sugar foods and beverages with either: 1) sweet tasting foods and beverages that have no or low amounts of free sugars; 2) non-sweet tasting foods and beverages that have no or low amounts of free sugars and are high in other tasty flavours; and 3) non-sweet tasting foods and beverages that have no or low amounts of free sugars and are also low in other flavours. The primary outcome of interest is the changes in free sugar intakes from baseline to endpoint. Secondary outcomes include a range of dietary and biopsychosocial outcomes, sweet taste perceptions and sweet food and beverage intakes, as well as compliance with and evaluation of the dietary recommendation received.
1,573 studies on the registry are indexed under Behavior; 313 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 180 is above the median of 120 across 1,197 interventional studies indexed under Behavior.
Browse Behavior studies →Bournemouth University is the lead sponsor of 52 studies on the registry; 10 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Description: Participants in this arm will be asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to \< 5%TEI and replace sweet foods and drinks that are high in free sugars with foods and drinks that are sweet but have no or low amounts of free sugars, e.g., sweet no- or low-free sugar foods, fruit, and no- or low-calorie sweeteners.
Behavioral: Dietary advice - Sweet taste
Description: Participants in this arm will be asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to \< 5%TEI and replace sweet foods and drinks that are high in free sugars with foods and drinks that are non-sweet but are full of tasty flavours, e.g., non-sweet foods and drinks with nuts, herbs or spices.
Behavioral: Dietary advice - Taste
Description: Participants in this arm will be asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to \< 5%TEI and replace sweet foods and drinks that are high in free sugars with foods and drinks that are non-sweet and have no strong flavours, e.g., non-sweet plain foods and drinks.
Behavioral: Dietary advice - No taste
Asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to \< 5%TEI and replace sweet foods and drinks that are high in free sugars with foods and drinks that are sweet but have no or low amounts of free sugars, e.g., sweet no- or low-free sugar foods, fruit, and no- or low-calorie sweeteners.
Asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to \< 5%TEI and replace sweet foods and drinks that are high in free sugars with foods and drinks that are non-sweet but are full of tasty flavours, e.g., non-sweet foods and drinks with nuts, herbs or spices.
Asked to reduce their free sugar intakes to \< 5%TEI and replace sweet foods and drinks that are high in free sugars with foods and drinks that are non-sweet and have no strong flavours, e.g., non-sweet plain foods and drinks.
Free sugar intakes
Percentage total energy intake (%TEI) from free sugars, measured using multiple 24-hour dietary recalls.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Adherence
Adherence with the dietary advice received will be assessed by self-report using online surveys.
Time frame: week 3 to week 12
Energy intake and diet composition
Energy intake and nutrient composition of dietary intakes, measured using multiple 24-hour dietary recalls.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Body weight
Weight, in kilograms, assessed using standard digital scales.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Waist circumference
Waist circumference, in centimeters, measured using standard flexible tape measure.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Body fat percentage
Body fat percentage assessed using a bioimpedance scale.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Body mass index
Body mass index assessed using a standard kg/m2 measurement.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Fasted blood glucose
Fasted blood glucose (min 8h fast), in millimoles per litre, assessed using a prick-a-finger method and a blood glucose monitor.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Sweet food and beverage preferences
Preferences for sweet foods and beverages will be assessed using a taste perception test. Participants will taste commercially available several sweet and non-sweet foods and beverages and indicate how pleasant these are and how much they desire to eat these using 0-100 visual analogue scales. Higher scores indicate greater pleasantness and desire to eat.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Sweet food and beverage perceptions
Preferences of the sweet taste intensity will be assessed using a taste perception test. Participants will taste several commercially available sweet and non-sweet foods and beverages and indicate their sweetness intensity using 0-100 visual analogue scales. Higher scores indicate greater perceived sweetness intensity.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Sweet food and beverage choice
Sweet food and beverage choice will be assessed using a breakfast meal. A wide selection of commercially available sweet and non-sweet breakfast foods and beverages will be presented, with participants free to choose what and how much they consume. Sweet food and beverage choices will be measured as the weight consumed during the breakfast meal. A take-home beverage will also be offered from a selection of sweet and non-sweet beverages with the choice recorded.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Dietary advice evaluation
Evaluation of and perceptions of the dietary advice received will be assessed by self-report using individual questions using online surveys.
Time frame: week 3 to week 12
Sweet attitudes
Attitudes toward sugars, sweeteners, and sweet foods will be assessed using the Sweet Talk Questionnaire in six domains. The higher the score in a given domain, the more prevalent the attitude.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Self-reported quality of life
Physical and psychosocial functioning will be assessed using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey. Higher scores indicate greater quality of life.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Attitudes towards eating
General attitudes towards eating will be assessed using the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire in three domains. The higher the score in a given domain, the more prevalent the behaviour.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Dietary knowledge
Knowledge of dietary and sugar recommendations will be assessed via self-report using specific indvidual questions in an online questionnaire.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Adverse events
Adverse events will be assessed via self-report.
Time frame: Baseline to week 12
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Started May 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2026, 19 months after the start.
Of 741 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Behavior, half reached primary completion within 14 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 32. This study's planned 19 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 757 studies reached it within 13 months; a quarter within 5 and three quarters within 32.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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Bournemouth University