An interventional study of Sucrose- Low dose and Sucrose - High Dose in Overweight , Obesity and Glucose Metabolism, sponsored by Fundación Pública Andaluza para la Investigación de Málaga en Biomedicina y Salud. Recruiting at 1 site in Spain. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-18.
Sponsored by Fundación Pública Andaluza para la Investigación de Málaga en Biomedicina y Salud · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
SucroMet is designed to evaluate how adding two commonly used sweeteners-sucrose (table sugar) and sucralose (a low-calorie sweetener)-at low and high doses may influence glucose regulation, including insulin resistance and fasting plasma glucose, in adults aged 18 to 65 years with normal weight, overweight, or obesity.
The low-dose intervention consists of 5% of the Estimated Energy Requirement (EER) from sucrose or 5 sucralose tablets per day (approximately 33.35 mg/day of sucralose). The high-dose intervention consists of 10% of EER from sucrose or 10 sucralose tablets per day (approximately 66.7 mg/day of sucralose). These doses maintain the planned 1:2 exposure ratio between the low- and high-dose intervention groups.
Before the intervention begins, participants' habitual dietary intake is assessed and, when necessary, minor dietary adjustments are made to support a stable overall eating pattern while maintaining energy intake. Participants then complete a four-week run-in period during which these recommendations are followed, and dietary records are used to verify dietary stability before the intervention starts.
Participants will consume the assigned sweetener incorporated into foods or beverages that they already consume as part of their habitual diet, without substantial changes to their usual eating patterns. The intervention includes two consecutive 12-week phases, one involving solid food intake and the other involving liquid intake, separated by a two-week washout period. This design allows evaluation of the effects of sweetener type, dose, and mode of consumption.
The primary outcomes are changes in glucose regulation, including fasting plasma glucose and insulin resistance assessed by HOMA-IR. Secondary outcomes include changes in body composition, anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, routine biochemical parameters, gut microbiota composition, DNA methylation patterns in peripheral blood cells, and biomarkers related to inflammation, oxidative stress, and metabolomic profiles measured in blood and urine.
Participants will attend scheduled study visits for anthropometric assessments, dietary evaluations, and biological sample collection. Blood, urine, and stool samples will be obtained at baseline and after each intervention phase.
The study aims to address the following questions:
SucroMet is a randomized controlled nutritional intervention designed to investigate the metabolic effects of sucrose and sucralose consumption under conditions that closely reflect habitual dietary practices. The study aims to determine whether sweetener type, dose, and mode of consumption influence glucose regulation and related biological pathways in adults with normal weight, overweight, or obesity. The study evaluates the independent and combined effects of sweetener type, dose, and mode of consumption. By maintaining overall dietary habits and energy intake as stable as possible throughout the intervention, the design aims to isolate the specific contribution of sweetener exposure to observed metabolic changes.
A distinctive feature of the study is the comparison of sweeteners administered in both solid and liquid forms, allowing assessment of whether the food matrix modifies physiological responses. The study also examines whether responses differ according to adiposity status, enabling exploration of potential interactions between sweetener exposure and body mass index.
Beyond glucose regulation, the study investigates several biological pathways that may contribute to individual variability in response to sweetener intake, including gut microbiota composition, epigenetic regulation, inflammation, oxidative stress, and systemic metabolic profiles. The integration of clinical, biochemical, molecular, and metabolomic data is intended to provide a comprehensive characterization of the biological effects associated with long-term sweetener consumption.
The results are expected to improve understanding of the metabolic consequences of sucrose and sucralose intake and to contribute evidence relevant to future nutritional recommendations and public health strategies.
11,522 studies on the registry are indexed under Obesity; 2,033 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 120 is above the median of 67 across 9,006 interventional studies indexed under Obesity.
Browse Obesity studies →Fundación Pública Andaluza para la Investigación de Málaga en Biomedicina y Salud is the lead sponsor of 71 studies on the registry; 23 are open to participants now.
Compared within Obesity, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Overweight. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →
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.
Individuals in good general health, as determined by:
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.
A blood test of average blood sugar over the past two to three months, given as a percentage or in mmol/mol. 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or more is the usual threshold for diabetes, normally confirmed by a second test.
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
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.
HbA1c
A blood test of average blood sugar over the past two to three months, given as a percentage or in mmol/mol. 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) or more is the usual threshold for diabetes, normally confirmed by a second test.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ALT and AST (liver enzymes)
Two enzymes measured in a routine blood test of the liver. Higher levels can mean the liver is under strain or damaged. SGPT and SGOT are older names for ALT and AST.
Criteria usually give a limit as a multiple of the upper limit of normal (ULN), often higher when cancer has spread to the liver.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants assigned to this arm will consume sucrose at a low dose equivalent to five percent of their individual estimated energy requirement. The sucrose will be incorporated into foods or beverages that are part of the habitual diet, while total daily calorie intake is maintained. Participants will complete two intervention phases, including solid and liquid intake forms, according to the crossover design.
Behavioral: Sucralose - Low Dose
Participants assigned to this arm will consume sucrose at a high dose equivalent to ten percent of their individual estimated energy requirement. The sucrose will be incorporated into foods or beverages that are part of the habitual diet, while total daily calorie intake is maintained. Participants will complete two intervention phases, including solid and liquid intake forms, according to the crossover design.
Behavioral: Sucrose - High Dose
Participants assigned to this arm will consume a low dose of sucralose (approximately 33.35 mg/day), administered as five sucralose tablets per day and distributed across regular meals. The sucralose will be incorporated into foods or beverages consumed as part of the habitual diet while maintaining stable total daily energy intake. Participants will complete both solid and liquid intake intervention phases according to the crossover design.
Behavioral: Sucrose- Low dose
Participants assigned to this arm will consume a high dose of sucralose (approximately 66.7 mg/day), administered as ten sucralose tablets per day and distributed across regular meals. The sucralose will be incorporated into foods or beverages consumed as part of the habitual diet while maintaining stable total daily energy intake. Participants will complete both solid and liquid intake intervention phases according to the crossover design.
Behavioral: Sucralose - High Dose
Sucrose administered at a dose equivalent to 5% of the participant's estimated daily energy requirement. The required amount is individually calculated and provided in pre-weighed sachets for daily consumption. Participants consume the assigned dose in foods or beverages during both intervention periods according to the crossover schedule.
Sucrose administered at a dose equivalent to 10% of the participant's estimated daily energy requirement. The required amount is individually calculated and provided in pre-weighed sachets for daily consumption. Participants consume the assigned dose in foods or beverages during both intervention periods according to the crossover schedule.
Sucralose tablets administered at a total dose of approximately 33.35 mg/day (5 tablets/day). Tablets are consumed daily and distributed across meals. Participants receive the assigned dose throughout both intervention periods and consume the sweetener in both solid and liquid forms according to the study crossover schedule.
Sucralose tablets administered at a total dose of approximately 66.7 mg/day (10 tablets/day). Tablets are consumed daily and distributed across meals. Participants receive the assigned dose throughout both intervention periods and consume the sweetener in both solid and liquid forms according to the study crossover schedule.
Change in HOMA-IR Index
Insulin resistance will be assessed using the Homeostasis Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR). Results will be reported as HOMA-IR values.
Time frame: Baseline (before intervention) and End of each 12-week intervention phase
Glycemic biomarker
Change in Hemoglobin A1c (%): Hemoglobin A1c measured as an indicator of long-term glycemic control.
Time frame: Baseline and End of each 12-week intervention phase
Change in Fat Mass
Fat mass (kg) is assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA).
Time frame: Baseline and End of each 12-week intervention phase
Change in Systolic Blood Pressure
Systolic blood pressure is measured under standardized clinical conditions using validated devices.
Time frame: Baseline and End of each 12-week intervention phase
Change in Triglycerides
Triglyceride levels (mg/dL) are measured using standard clinical laboratory methods.
Time frame: Baseline and End of each 12-week intervention phase
Change in Relative Abundance of Gut Microbiota
Gut microbiota composition is assessed in stool samples using 16S rRNA gene sequencing by quantifying the relative abundance of bacterial taxa at different taxonomic levels.
Time frame: Baseline and End of each 12-week intervention phase
Change in DNA Methylation in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells
DNA methylation levels are assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) by quantifying methylation at specific CpG sites using bisulfite-based epigenetic analysis techniques.
Time frame: Baseline and End of each 12-week intervention phase
Change in Urinary Oxylipin Levels
Urinary oxylipin levels, including isoprostanes, prostaglandins, and thromboxanes, are quantified in first-morning urine samples using targeted mass spectrometry and normalized to urinary creatinine.
Time frame: Baseline and End of each 12-week intervention phase
Plan to share: Undecided — Individual participant data (IPD) sharing has not yet been determined. Any future decision to share IPD will depend on additional ethical approvals, data protection regulations (including GDPR), and the terms of the informed consent. If IPD are shared, they will be fully anonymized and made available only for scientifically sound research purposes, subject to appropriate data access agreements.
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Fundación Pública Andaluza para la Investigación de Málaga en Biomedicina y Salud