A recent study by two Purdue University researchers found that the consumption of artificial sweeteners may impair your body’s natural ability to monitor calories. Researchers concluded that the unconscious ability to monitor caloric intake helps to control overeating; therefore, the loss of that ability could lead to overall weight gain. This recent study is yet another blow to the artificial sweetener industry, as decades of research already suggests that these sweeteners contain dangerous neurotoxic chemicals that are extremely detrimental to human health.
In the recent Purdue studies, researchers gave rats two different liquids for ten days. One group received sweet liquids that contained real sugar, so the relationship between taste and calories was consistent. The other group received sweet liquids that contained the artificial sweetener saccharin, so the relationship between the sweet taste and the actual calories was inconsistent. After ten days, researchers allowed the animals to eat a sweet chocolate snack. The rats that were given the drinks sweetened with saccharin were less able to tell how many calories were in the snack, and at mealtime ate 3 times as much as the rats given the drinks sweetened with real sugar.
The artificial sweetener industry was quick to point out that research done prior to this study found that the use of artificial sweeteners helped to control weight and that this particular study was only performed on rats and that the sample size was relatively small.
Researchers say that they are not intending to imply that artificial sweeteners make people put on extra pounds. Susan Swithers, one of the study’s authors, interprets the results as follows: “What we are actually suggesting from our study is not that artificial sweeteners are going to make people gain wait. They are actually losing an unconscious ability to measure their food intake when they consume artificial sweeteners. So if people do consume artificial sweeteners, they have to be more conscious of the calories involved when they do eat sweet things."
The study can be found in the July issue of the International Journal of Obesity.
The Source:
HealthDay News
