OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that substituting artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) decreases intrahepatocellular lipid concentrations (IHCL) in overweight subjects with high SSB consumption.
METHODS: About 31 healthy subjects with BMI greater than 25 kg/m(2) and a daily consumption of at least 660 ml SSB were randomized to a 12-week intervention in which they replaced SSBs with ASBs. Their IHCL (magnetic resonance spectroscopy), visceral adipose tissue volume (VAT; magnetic resonance imaging), food intake (2-day food records), and fasting blood concentrations of metabolic markers were measured after a 4-week run-in period and after a 12-week period with ASB or control (CTRL).
RESULTS: About 27 subjects completed the study. IHCL was reduced to 74% of the initial values with ASB (N = 14; P < 0.05) but did not change with CTRL. The decrease in IHCL attained with ASB was more important in subjects with IHCL greater than 60 mmol/l than in subjects with low IHCL. ALT decreased significantly with SSB only in subjects with IHCL greater than 60 mmol/l. There was otherwise no significant effect of ASB on body weight, VAT, or metabolic markers.
CONCLUSIONS: In subjects with overweight or obesity and a high SSB intake, replacing SSB with ASB decreased intrahepatic fat over a 12-week period.