Jackie Jo’s
Why they can make you put on Weight
Artificial sweeteners are taken every day by more than half the adult population of America as a
supposedly healthier option to sugar. But the products do little to help us lose weight - and may even
cause us to put more weight on, a new study has discovered.
Low-calorie sweeteners may increase our desire for sweet foods, which, in turn, cause weight gain.
Scientists have discovered that the artificial substitutes cause a disassociation in the brain between
energy and sweetness, and disrupt its ability to accurately assess the calories we're consuming..
In one study, researchers found that sugar can stimulate the areas of the brain related to expectation
and satisfaction, so switching off the desire for more sweetness. Using brain imaging, they
discovered that artificial sweeteners were not activating the same neural pathways.
The statistics seem to bear out the theory. In 1987 around 70 million Americans were taking
sweeteners, and this grew to 160 million by 2000. Over the same period, obesity levels rose from 15
per cent to 30 per cent.
(Source: Neuroimage, 2008; 39: 1559-69).
