Stevia intake in enriched rats and its effects on food intake and weight gain

Stevia, a widely consumed non-caloric sweetener (NCS), has been associated with metabolic benefits, but its role in dietary behavior remains poorly understood. Environmental enrichment (EE) reduces the intake of rewarding substances such as drugs of abuse and sugar. However, the interaction between EE and stevia consumption has not been explored. This study evaluated the effects of stevia on liquid intake, food consumption, and weight gain under free choice between stevia and water, or exclusive stevia intake. Rats housed in EE or standard environments (SE) for 30 days were exposed to 21 days of intermittent access to liquids. Stevia was preferred over water by all rats. EE rats reduced stevia intake when water was not available compared to SE rats, and stevia consumption did not alter food intake or weight gain in EE animals. The EE shapes sweetener consumption, providing insights into how environmental factors shape dietary behavior and support the development of preventive strategies against maladaptive eating and metabolic disorders.

甜菊糖苷（stevia）是一种广泛使用的无热量甜味剂（non-caloric sweetener, NCS），已被证实与代谢获益相关，但其在饮食行为中的作用仍有待深入阐明。环境丰富化（environmental enrichment, EE）可降低成瘾性药物与糖类等奖赏性物质的摄入，然而环境丰富化与甜菊糖苷摄入之间的交互作用尚未得到探索。本研究评估了在甜菊糖苷与水自由选择，或仅摄入甜菊糖苷的条件下，甜菊糖苷对液体摄入、食物摄取量与体重增长的影响。将饲养于环境丰富化（EE）或标准环境（standard environment, SE）中30天的大鼠，给予21天的间歇性液体接触处理。所有大鼠均优先选择甜菊糖苷而非水。与标准环境饲养的大鼠相比，环境丰富化组大鼠在无法获取水时，甜菊糖苷的摄入量显著降低；且环境丰富化组动物的甜菊糖苷摄入并未改变其食物摄取量与体重增长。环境丰富化可调控甜味剂的摄入模式，该发现为阐明环境因素如何影响饮食行为提供了新的视角，并可为开发针对适应不良性进食与代谢紊乱的预防策略提供支持。