No influence of carbonation on glycemic response, gastric emptying, and satiety of sweetened drinks
Nutrition Volumes 39–40, July–August 2017, Pages 1–7 Evelyn Rou Lin Lau
Highlights
• It has been demonstrated that carbonation increases alcohol absorption.
• In contrast, glucose-based beverages when carbonated do not increase glycemia or alter gastric emptying.
• The glycemic response of carbonated and noncarbonated beverages solely depends on the carbohydrate content of the beverage.
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of carbonation of sweetened beverages on glycemic response, gastric emptying, and satiety.
Methods
After an overnight fast, 15 healthy individuals (6 women, 9 men) consumed a 500 mL beverage containing 50 g glucose that was noncarbonated (NC), low carbonated (LC), or high carbonated (HC) at a standardized rate of consumption (100 mL/min). Blood glucose was measured at baseline and at 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min after beverage consumption. Antral cross-sectional area was measured using ultrasound at baseline, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 90, and 120 min; for the estimation of gastric volume and gastric emptying rate. Satiety was assessed using electronic visual analog scales at the same time points as the blood glucose measurement.
Results
There were no significant differences in glycemic response among the test beverages. Higher carbonation levels significantly increased antral cross-sectional area during the first 20 min after beverage consumption (P < 0.010) but did not translate into significant differences in gastric volume or gastric emptying rates. There was no significant effect of carbonation on satiety, but the area under the curve for thirst was significantly lower for HC compared with NC (P = 0.009).
Conclusions
The carbonation of a simple glucose solution did not increase glycemic response nor alter gastric emptying and subjective feelings of satiety (with the exception of thirst). The present study suggests that carbonation does not alter glycemic response.