Sweetners and Cigarette Craving: Glucose, Aspartame, Sorbitol    

Murray E. Jarvik, MD, PhD;  Richard E. Olmstead, PhD;  Nina G. Schneider, PhD;  Paula N. Iwamoto-Schaap, MA;  Damian C. Madsen, BA 

Objective: To determine whether reported cigarette craving can be relieved with glucose versus other sweeteners. Methods: In Study I (a dose-response, partial crossover design, glucose was compared to the non-nutritive sweetener aspartame on degree of urges to smoke over a brief (3 hour) withdrawal period. Study II compared glucose to sorbitol in a smoking cessation clinic where smokers also received nicotine gum and behavioral intervention. Results: In study I, cigarette craving increased significantly over time for all subjects (p<.001) but was unaffected by either sweetener. However, in Study II, sorbitol significantly decreased craving while glucose increased it (p <.05). Conclusion: The inconsistent pattern of findings suggests any effect of sweet food consumption on craving for cigarettes is likely to be moderated by many variables.

Am J Health Behav 1998;22(2):130-140