Gradual sugar reduction decreases sugar intake without changing product liking or amount eaten

Overconsumption of sugar, especially in sugar-sweetened beverages, is associated with health risks like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Our objectives were 1) determine how sugar-sweetened iced tea liking would change over time for people in a gradual reduction of sugar group compared to those in a control group, 2) determine if changes in liking ratings from the initial to the final taste test differed between the two groups, 3) determine if participants in the gradual reduction group increased their liking of lower sugar concentrations. Participants that consumed sweetened tea at least three times per week enrolled in this three-phase study: an initial taste test, a 12-week repeated consumption phase, and a final taste test. At the initial and final taste tests participants were served teas differing in sugar content. We divided participants into a control or a gradual reduction group for the 12-week repeated consumption phase by balancing the groups for their initial hedonic sensitivity to sweetness and their motivation to decrease their dietary sugar intake. The control group received a 7.7 % sugar-sweetened tea for the duration of the 12 weeks. The gradual reduction group received a tea that was reduced weekly in increments of 10 % of the previous week's sucrose concentration. Over the consumption phase, liking decreased gradually and equally for the control and gradual reduction groups. From the initial taste test to the final taste test the lowest acceptable, ideal level, and the highest acceptable level of sweetness did not differ between the control and gradual reduction group.