Health
Sugar-free products could be contributing to obesity epidemic
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 19, 2004
Consuming food and drink that is artificially sweetened could be hindering people's attempts to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight, according to a paper in the July International Journal of Obesity.
Researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, looked at several studies of the eating behaviors of rats. Those that were fed artificial sweeteners rather than sugar tended to eat more calories over the long term, and the researchers theorized that their body's natural ability to count calories may have been disrupted.
Authors of the paper said the phenomena warranted further study.
"When you substitute artificial sweetener for real sugar the body learns it can no longer use its sense of taste to gauge calories," said Susan Swithers, PhD, one of the authors and a developmental psychobiologist. "The body may be fooled into thinking a product sweetened with sugar has no calories and, therefore, people overeat."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/07/19/hlbf0719.htm.
