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On the surface, weight loss is a simple equation – eat less calories, exercise more and you’ll drop the kilos.
Of course, there are matters that can complicate this equation, but one thing that has been thought to help is swapping sugar for artificial sweeteners. A teaspoon of sugar in your morning coffee costs you 16 calories. Swap this for an equivalent amount of artificial sweetener and you’ll save this amount. That’s bound to help right?
You’d think so however a growing body of research is beginning to question the benefits of artificial sweetener in aiding weight loss...
The artificial sweetener industry is big business. According to the market research company Freedonia, the US artificial sweetener market is set hit to $189 million in 2008. As well as the large soft drink market, artificial sweeteners are also found in chewing gum, sugar free candy and chocolate, some brands of jelly, yoghurt and ice creams, plus sauces and jams – all designed to help with the battle of the bulge. So what does this research mean in terms of the industry and the benefits of sweeteners.
A recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reviewed how useful the use of artificial low calorie sweeteners were in curbing the obesity epidemic. They covered a wide range of research studies and concluded that their usefulness in helping weight loss is unclear. There is an increasing amount of evidence that artificial sweeteners may be of little help to those trying to control their weight and they could possibly have the opposite effect to promote weight gain.
Some recent animal studies suggest that artificial sweeteners may even lead to weight gain. One study conducted at Purdue University's Ingestive Behaviour Research Centre found that rats fed on yoghurt sweetened with saccharin, a type of artificial sweeten ergained more weight and body fat than those fed on yoghurt sweetened with glucose.
How can something that contains no energy not help, or shock horror, even contribute to weight gain? One theory is that artificial sweeteners could interfere with the brains ability to judge a food's calorie content based on its sweetness. A sweet food would have previously signalled a high calorie content, resulting in the feeling of satiety/satisfaction. However because artificial sweeteners provide sweetness without the energy, they could affect the feedback system meaning the body is less effective in assessing its calorie intake.
So should you ditch the coke zero for the standard version? The answer is no. Rather, use this research as a cautionary tale – if you’re having a diet soft drink, just be careful that you don’t overindulge later on. Much more research will be needed before any firm conclusions can be drawn. Keep your eyes peeled.
calories, exercise more and you’ll drop the kilos. 
You’d think so however a growing body of research is beginning to question the benefits of artificial sweetener in aiding weight loss...
bulge. So what does this research mean in terms of the industry and the benefits of sweeteners.
How can something that contains no energy not help, or shock horror, even contribute to weight gain? One theory is that artificial sweeteners could interfere with the brains ability to judge a food's calorie content based on its sweetness. A sweet food would have previously signalled a high calorie content, resulting in the feeling of satiety/satisfaction. However because artificial sweeteners provide sweetness without the energy, they could affect the feedback system meaning the body is less effective in assessing its calorie intake..jpg){kind=small}