I was thinking about sugar and the role it plays in our diet, as well as how sugar might affect any weight loss program we choose. However, I was also thinking about substituting artificial sweeteners for sugar and wondered how those products might help me lose a few extra pounds, if at all. I was surprised to find that artificial sweeteners may have just the opposite effect from what we want. For one thing, a sweetener such as saccharin is much more “sweet” than commercial sugar, 300 times sweeter according to one report. Therefore, this particular sweetener may actually increase our desire for sweets.
Not only that, but also, this same report indicated that sweeteners may actually cause people to gain weight because appetite is increased and digestion slowed down. Another study showed that when people in the test received 70% of their sugar from liquids such as sweet soft drinks, there was an increase in weight, while those who got the majority of their energy intake from sweeteners remained about level in weight gain/loss.
One caution that some nutritionists have passed on to those concerned about weight loss and sugar consumption is that diet drinks with artificial sweeteners may not be a wise choice as part of our program either. In addition, one study at Purdue University shows that the body is less satisfied with sugars from liquids than with sugars the body gets from solid food.
A doctor’s report in 2004 that specifically looked at the role of artificial sweeteners in dieting stated that the artificial products trick the body by interfering with the body’s natural ability to count calories, which would include consuming a diet beverage while eating foods with natural sugars. In this case, the body may interpret all the calories as less based on the presence of the artificial sweetener.
I certainly don’t understand all the science behind this stuff, but I am fascinated by the different roles that sugar and sweeteners play in dieting and weight loss. I hope I can find a good combination that, along with exercise, will help me flatten a few places on my own body.