Sound Bites® Podcast Episode 214: The Science of Sweetness – Dr. Kees de Graaf & Dr. Colin Rehm
Description: There is a need to measure sweetness of the diet to help us further understand the relationship between sweetness and nutrition and health. However, there is no consensus method to estimate dietary sweetness. To fill this gap, scientists at PepsiCo developed a practical approach for estimating dietary sweetness. This methodology can be used in dietary surveillance studies as well as to better understand the impact of dietary sweetness on diet quality and health outcomes.
Speakers:
Colin Rehm, PhD, MPH
Epidemiologist and Senior Principal Scientist with PepsiCo, Health and Nutrition Sciences
Kees de Graaf, PhD, MSc
Professor of Sensory Science and Eating Behavior at Wageningen University & Research and a globally recognized expert in sweetness research
Melissa Joy Dobbins, MS, RDN, CDCES
Sound Bites® Podcast
Access podcast here, as well as information on obtaining 1.0 CPEU through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for tuning in and completing requirements.
This podcast episode is accredited for 1.0 CPEU by the Commission on Dietetic Registration through August 19, 2025.
- Understand the importance of measuring the level of sweetness in the diet
- Describe methodologies used to study sweetness in the diet
- Summarize trends in the sweetness in the U.S. diet over the recent decades and the implications of that research
