The flavor associated with certain artificial sweeteners can potentially induce an insulin increase.

“Now the simple takeaway from these studies would be the following, and this is actually one interpretation that Dana Small has offered to her data, but she offers other interpretations as well. One of interpretation is that if people are going to ingest artificial sweeteners, and they do that along with foods that very sharply increase blood glucose, then there is the potential, I highlight the potential, for those same artificial sweeteners to increase insulin, even in the absence of food.”