Can Sugar Substitutes Make You Fat?

yoginimary

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1711763,00.html?xid=rss-health

When it comes to dieting, most of us are willing to resort to a trick or two to help us curb our appetite and eat less — drinking water to fill up when we're hungry, for example, or opting for artificial sweeteners instead of sugar to get the same satisfying sweetness without the offending calories. But new research suggests that the body is not so easily fooled, and that sugar substitutes are no key to weight loss — perhaps helping to explain why, despite a plethora of low-calorie food and drink, Americans are heavier than ever.
Related Articles

In a series of experiments, scientists at Purdue University compared weight gain and eating habits in rats whose diets were supplemented with sweetened food containing either zero-calorie saccharin or sugar. The report, published in Behavioral Neuroscience, presents some counterintuitive findings: Animals fed with artificially sweetened yogurt over a two-week period consumed more calories and gained more weight — mostly in the form of fat — than animals eating yogurt flavored with glucose, a natural, high-calorie sweetener. It's a continuation of work the Purdue group began in 2004, when they reported that animals consuming saccharin-sweetened liquids and snacks tended to eat more than animals fed high-calorie, sweetened foods. The new study, say the scientists, offers stronger evidence that how we eat may depend on automatic, conditioned responses to food that are beyond our control.

What they mean is that like Pavlov's dog, trained to salivate at the sound of a bell, animals are similarly trained to anticipate lots of calories when they taste something sweet — in nature, sweet foods are usually loaded with calories. When an animal eats a saccharin-flavored food with no calories, however — disrupting the sweetness and calorie link — the animal tends to eat more and gain more weight, the new study shows. The study was even able to document at the physiological level that animals given artificial sweeteners responded differently to their food than those eating high-calorie sweetened foods. The sugar-fed rats, for example, showed the expected uptick in core body temperature at mealtime, corresponding to their anticipation of a bolus of calories that they would need to start burning off — a sort of metabolic revving of the energy engines. The saccharin-fed animals, on the other hand, showed no such rise in temperature. "The animals that had the artificial sweetener appear to have a different anticipatory response," says Susan Swithers, a professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University and a co-author of the study. "They don't anticipate as many calories arriving." The net result is a more sluggish metabolism that stores, rather than burns, incoming excess calories.

Swithers stops short of saying that the animals in her study were compelled to overeat to compensate for phantom calories. But she says that the study does suggest artificial sweeteners somehow disrupt the body's ability to regulate incoming calories. "It's still a bit of a mystery why they are overeating, but we definitely have evidence that the animals getting artificially sweetened yogurt end up eating more calories than the ones getting calorically sweetened yogurt."

Though it's premature to generalize based on animal results that the same phenomena would hold true in people, Swithers says, she notes that other human studies have already shown a similar effect. A University of Texas Health Science Center survey in 2005 found that people who drink diet soft drinks may actually gain weight; in that study, for every can of diet soda people consumed each day, there was a 41% increased risk of being overweight. So even though her findings were in animals, says Swithers, they could lead to a better understanding of how the human body responds to food, and explain why eating low-calorie foods doesn't always lead to weight loss. "There is lots of evidence that we learn about the consequences about eating food," she says. "And we have physiological responses to food that are conditioned."

So does that mean you should ditch the artificial sweeteners and welcome sugar back into your life? Not exactly. Excess sugar in the diet can lead to diabetes and heart disease, even independent of its effect on weight. But it's worth remembering that when it comes to counting calories, it's not just the ones you eat that you have to worry about. The calories you give up matter too, and they may very well reappear in that extra helping of pasta or dessert that your body demands. Your body may actually be keeping better count than you are.

yoginimary

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1711763,00.html?xid=rss-health

When it comes to dieting, most of us are willing to resort to a trick or two to help us curb our appetite and eat less — drinking water to fill up when we're hungry, for example, or opting for artificial sweeteners instead of sugar to get the same satisfying sweetness without the offending calories. But new research suggests that the body is not so easily fooled, and that sugar substitutes are no key to weight loss — perhaps helping to explain why, despite a plethora of low-calorie food and drink, Americans are heavier than ever.
Related Articles

In a series of experiments, scientists at Purdue University compared weight gain and eating habits in rats whose diets were supplemented with sweetened food containing either zero-calorie saccharin or sugar. The report, published in Behavioral Neuroscience, presents some counterintuitive findings: Animals fed with artificially sweetened yogurt over a two-week period consumed more calories and gained more weight — mostly in the form of fat — than animals eating yogurt flavored with glucose, a natural, high-calorie sweetener. It's a continuation of work the Purdue group began in 2004, when they reported that animals consuming saccharin-sweetened liquids and snacks tended to eat more than animals fed high-calorie, sweetened foods. The new study, say the scientists, offers stronger evidence that how we eat may depend on automatic, conditioned responses to food that are beyond our control.

What they mean is that like Pavlov's dog, trained to salivate at the sound of a bell, animals are similarly trained to anticipate lots of calories when they taste something sweet — in nature, sweet foods are usually loaded with calories. When an animal eats a saccharin-flavored food with no calories, however — disrupting the sweetness and calorie link — the animal tends to eat more and gain more weight, the new study shows. The study was even able to document at the physiological level that animals given artificial sweeteners responded differently to their food than those eating high-calorie sweetened foods. The sugar-fed rats, for example, showed the expected uptick in core body temperature at mealtime, corresponding to their anticipation of a bolus of calories that they would need to start burning off — a sort of metabolic revving of the energy engines. The saccharin-fed animals, on the other hand, showed no such rise in temperature. "The animals that had the artificial sweetener appear to have a different anticipatory response," says Susan Swithers, a professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University and a co-author of the study. "They don't anticipate as many calories arriving." The net result is a more sluggish metabolism that stores, rather than burns, incoming excess calories.

Swithers stops short of saying that the animals in her study were compelled to overeat to compensate for phantom calories. But she says that the study does suggest artificial sweeteners somehow disrupt the body's ability to regulate incoming calories. "It's still a bit of a mystery why they are overeating, but we definitely have evidence that the animals getting artificially sweetened yogurt end up eating more calories than the ones getting calorically sweetened yogurt."

Though it's premature to generalize based on animal results that the same phenomena would hold true in people, Swithers says, she notes that other human studies have already shown a similar effect. A University of Texas Health Science Center survey in 2005 found that people who drink diet soft drinks may actually gain weight; in that study, for every can of diet soda people consumed each day, there was a 41% increased risk of being overweight. So even though her findings were in animals, says Swithers, they could lead to a better understanding of how the human body responds to food, and explain why eating low-calorie foods doesn't always lead to weight loss. "There is lots of evidence that we learn about the consequences about eating food," she says. "And we have physiological responses to food that are conditioned."

So does that mean you should ditch the artificial sweeteners and welcome sugar back into your life? Not exactly. Excess sugar in the diet can lead to diabetes and heart disease, even independent of its effect on weight. But it's worth remembering that when it comes to counting calories, it's not just the ones you eat that you have to worry about. The calories you give up matter too, and they may very well reappear in that extra helping of pasta or dessert that your body demands. Your body may actually be keeping better count than you are.

abetterme

I heard about this on GMA this morning. It will make me think twice about grabbing a diet pop next time.

Erica92627

GMA ? Grammy Music Awards? since when did they care about our health? lol just kidding.

Are you talking about Good Morning America? Geez i haven' theard that show since I was about 7 lol

nopogal

YEP! I've heard numerous similar studies, but it's nice to hear it's finally finding some popularity.

stizzef

It's so hard to know what to believe, because it seems like everytime we're told something is good/bad for us, a couple of years later a study comes out that says the exact opposite.

pam0206

I am very skeptical of what universities are calling "studies" these days, although the ones quoted here seem to have some merit.....I saw an article on Yahoo a few weeks ago describing how artificial sweetners caused type 2 diabetic patients' blood sugars to spike. As I read further, this study consisted of 10 people. They "studied" 10 people and tried to generalize their results to the world population. I say take these studies with a grain of salt and do what works for you.

slieber

My WW leader talks about this quite a bit. She says, and I agree, that it's really just a psychological thing. We eat more because we THINK we can, because the food is low-cal or low-fat. Eating 10 of a low-fat item vs. eating 3 of the same, high-fat item isn't all that different.

I know I have a problem with eating sweets, cookies, etc. (gluten free stuff, but it doesn't matter). So I don't keep it around. If I have one, I have the package. Those 1 point things they sell at WW don't do a thing for me, because I know that one won't be enough.

It's all in being more self-controlled. So those studies aren't really addressing that, as rats can't necessarily exercise self-control.

I won't switch to real sugar all the time, because I know that it makes me spike and then feel sleepy. I don't eat any more on the artificial stuff than I did on the real stuff, so the study doesn't apply.

Except for funnel cake. I love funnel cake. All 700 calories of it!! *sigh*

crystalicfusion

Sugar substitutes are horribly bad. Thats not new news. But a lot of people don't know that Stevia is not a sugar "substitute". Its not a manmade chemical. It grows naturally all by its self. So if you need a little sweetness in your life, add a little stevia to your tea or coffee. It adds no calories or carbs. and can actually help level out blood sugar levels.

chrispchef1

Your body may actually be keeping better count than you are.

The last line of the article says it all!

Whether we like it or not

mmtarase

Seems like only one person caught the fact it makes you fat because you eat more.....it actually has NOTHING to do with the sweetner. For example someone will think they can supersize their value meal because there aren't any calories in the diet coke. They aren't taking into account the fact that the extra food has more calories than the regular coke does. Therefore they gain weight. :embarassed:

yoginimary

Seems like only one person caught the fact it makes you fat because you eat more.....it actually has NOTHING to do with the sweetner. For example someone will think they can supersize their value meal because there aren't any calories in the diet coke. They aren't taking into account the fact that the extra food has more calories than the regular coke does. Therefore they gain weight. :embarassed:

I agree, but, it doesn't quite explain why the rats ate more though.