When it comes to your favorite sweet treat, it’s impossible to eat just one.  Research has shown that an initial taste of a high-sugar food increases the desire for more, and also that consumption of high-sugar foods results in weight gain. As such, there is little doubt that obesity and being overweight are serious public health issues, with nearly 70% of U.S. adults overweight or obese, causing 300,000 deaths annually. Finding a way to reduce sugar cravings and the desire for sweet treats is thus an important step towards promoting positive changes in health.

In a recent study, investigators at the Oregon Research Institute (ORI) in Eugene, OR, found that a sweet-taste-suppressing lozenge containing gymnemic acid "GA" (Gymnema sylvestre leaf extract) produced a 31% reduction in desire for candy and a 44% reduction in total candy intake. The results have been published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

In this double-blind experiment, sixty-seven adults selected a favorite candy, consumed one standard serving, rated the candy pleasantness along with their desire for more candy, then were randomly assigned to consume either a GA or a placebo lozenge. Following which, they completed candy desire ratings and were offered additional candy servings, one at a time. If an offering was accepted, it was consumed, pleasantness and desire ratings were reported, and another serving was offered.

"Given that overconsumption of high-sugar foods causes weight gain, which increases risk for morbidity and mortality, it is vital to identify a way to help people make healthier food choices," noted Eric Stice, Ph.D., principal investigator on the study. "These findings suggest that the gymnemic lozenge immediately reduces high-sugar food intake."

GA is isolated from the leaves of Gymnema Sylvestre, a woody vine that has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries. Chewing the leaves of this plant suppresses the taste of sweetness from sugars and sugar substitutes by inhibiting sweet taste receptors on the tongue.

Results from this experiment confirmed that participants who consumed the GA lozenge were significantly less likely to choose to eat their preferred candy relative to those who consumed the placebo. The GA lozenge produced a 44% reduction in total candy intake compared to the placebo, making this effect was both statistically significant and clinically meaningful.

The lozenges used in this study were provided by Crave Crush LLC, and are marketed under the names Crave Crush and Sweet Defeat.