Researchers wanted to test whether eating fewer sweet foods would make people crave sweets less. They gave 180 healthy adults different amounts of sweet foods for 6 months—some ate very little sweet stuff, some ate a normal amount, and some ate lots of sweet foods. Surprisingly, no matter which group people were in, their taste preferences didn’t really change. People who ate fewer sweets didn’t start craving them less, and people who ate more sweets didn’t crave them more. After the study ended, everyone went back to eating sweets the way they did before. This challenges the common advice that eating less sugar will naturally make you want less sugar.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether eating different amounts of sweet-tasting foods for 6 months would change how much people like sweet tastes and how much they eat overall
  • Who participated: 180 healthy adults (about two-thirds women, one-third men) with an average age of 35 years and normal body weight. They were divided into three groups that received about half their daily food from a research program
  • Key finding: All three groups—whether they ate very few sweets, normal amounts, or lots of sweets—showed no real changes in how much they liked sweet tastes or how much they ate. The differences between groups were not statistically significant (P = 0.56 for taste liking)
  • What it means for you: Simply eating less sugar may not automatically make you crave sweets less. This suggests that reducing sweet foods alone might not be the key to changing eating habits, and other factors like total calories and food type matter more. However, this doesn’t mean sugar is healthy—just that the mechanism might work differently than previously thought

The Research Details

This was a carefully controlled experiment where researchers gave 180 people most of their food for 6 months. The participants were randomly divided into three groups: one group got foods with very little sweet taste (7% of their calories from sweet sources), another got a normal amount of sweet taste (35% of calories), and the third got lots of sweet taste (80% of calories). All the sweet foods came from real sources like fruits, dairy, sugar, and artificial sweeteners. Before the study, at 6 months, and 4 months after it ended, researchers measured how much people liked sweet tastes, what they chose to eat, how much they ate, their weight, and health markers related to diabetes and heart disease.

The researchers carefully tracked what people ate and measured their taste preferences using standardized tests. They also looked at whether people’s preferences changed over time and whether they stayed changed after the study ended. This type of study is considered very reliable because researchers control what people eat and randomly assign them to groups, which helps rule out other explanations for the results.

This research design is important because it actually controls what people eat, rather than just asking them what they eat. Many previous studies only asked people about their diet, which can be unreliable. By providing the food, researchers could be sure people were actually eating the right amounts. The long 6-month period also matters because taste preferences might take time to change. Following people for 4 months after the study ended helped show whether any changes would stick.

This study has several strengths: it’s a randomized controlled trial (the gold standard for research), it has a decent sample size of 180 people, it lasted 6 months (long enough to see real changes), and researchers controlled what people ate. However, all participants were healthy adults with normal weight, so results might not apply to people with obesity or other health conditions. The study also provided about half of people’s daily food, so they still chose the other half themselves, which could have affected results. Additionally, the study was published in 2026, so it’s very recent research.

What the Results Show

The main finding was surprising: changing how much sweet food people ate did not change how much they liked sweet tastes. The group eating very little sweet food (7% of calories) showed the same taste preferences as the group eating lots of sweet food (80% of calories). This was true both during the 6-month study and when measured again 4 months later.

People’s perception of how sweet things tasted also didn’t change based on their group. Someone eating lots of sweets didn’t start thinking sweet foods tasted less sweet, and someone eating few sweets didn’t start thinking they tasted sweeter. This was unexpected because many scientists thought taste preferences would adapt to what people eat regularly.

The groups also didn’t differ in how much total food they ate, how much weight they gained or lost, or their blood markers for diabetes and heart disease risk. Even though the groups were eating very different amounts of sweet foods during the study, these differences disappeared after the study ended—everyone went back to eating sweets the way they did before.

While the main taste preference results were negative, the study did confirm that the three groups successfully ate different amounts of sweet foods during the 6-month period. The low-sweet group ate significantly less sweet food than the high-sweet group, showing the intervention actually worked as planned. However, this difference in what they ate didn’t translate into differences in taste preferences or eating behavior. No serious side effects or health problems were reported in any group during the study.

This study challenges a common assumption in public health. Many health organizations recommend reducing sweet foods based on the theory that eating less sugar will make people crave it less, which would then help them eat healthier overall. This study suggests that mechanism might not work the way experts thought. However, this doesn’t mean previous research about sugar’s health effects is wrong—it just means the reason sugar reduction helps might be different. Other studies have shown that eating less sugar can help with weight management and health, but perhaps because it reduces total calories or because of other factors, not because it changes taste preferences.

Several important limitations should be considered. First, all participants were healthy adults with normal weight, so these results might not apply to people with obesity, children, or people with diabetes. Second, researchers only provided about half the daily food—people chose the other half themselves, which could have affected results. Third, the study only lasted 6 months, and taste preferences might take longer to change. Fourth, the study measured taste preferences in a lab setting, which might not reflect real-world eating. Finally, the study didn’t look at whether people’s overall health improved or worsened, only whether their taste preferences changed.

The Bottom Line

Based on this study alone, we cannot recommend reducing sweet foods specifically to change taste preferences, since the study found this doesn’t work. However, this is just one study, and other research shows reducing sugar intake has other health benefits. If you want to reduce sugar, do it for reasons like managing calories or improving overall health, not expecting your cravings to automatically decrease. Talk to a doctor or nutritionist about the best approach for your individual situation. Confidence level: Moderate—this is one well-designed study, but more research is needed to fully understand how taste preferences work.

This research is most relevant to health professionals and policymakers who make recommendations about sugar intake. It’s also interesting for anyone trying to reduce sugar and wondering why their cravings haven’t decreased. However, this study doesn’t apply well to children (whose taste preferences might work differently), people with obesity, or people with diabetes. If you’re trying to manage your weight or health, don’t assume that simply eating less sugar will automatically make you want less sugar—you might need other strategies too.

Based on this study, don’t expect your taste preferences to change just from eating less sugar. The study ran for 6 months and found no changes, and preferences stayed the same even 4 months after the study ended. If you’re reducing sugar for health reasons, focus on other benefits like managing calories and improving overall health, which might happen faster than taste preference changes.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track your sweet food intake (grams or servings per day) and your hunger/craving levels separately. Rate your cravings for sweets on a 1-10 scale daily. This helps you see whether reducing sweet foods actually affects your cravings over time, since this study suggests it might not.
  • Instead of expecting reduced sugar to automatically decrease cravings, use the app to track total calories and food types. Focus on eating more protein and fiber, which help you feel full longer. Track your energy levels and mood to see if reducing sugar helps in ways other than changing taste preferences.
  • Set a 3-month check-in to review whether your cravings have actually changed since reducing sugar. If they haven’t, don’t get discouraged—this study suggests that’s normal. Instead, focus on other benefits like weight management or energy levels. Track whether you’re eating less total food or making healthier choices overall, even if your taste preferences haven’t shifted.

This study challenges common health advice about reducing sugar, but it is one research study and should not be used to make major dietary changes without consulting a healthcare provider. The study only included healthy adults with normal weight, so results may not apply to children, people with obesity, or people with diabetes or other health conditions. While this research suggests that reducing sweet foods doesn’t change taste preferences, it does not mean sugar is healthy or that reducing sugar intake has no benefits. Always talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, especially if you have any health conditions or take medications. This study was published in 2026 and represents current research, but science evolves as more studies are conducted.