DailyMail: Why Low-Cal Sweetners Worse Than Sugar

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Why low-calorie sweeteners are 'more fattening than sugar'

Last updated at 09:40am on 11th February 2008

 

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Researchers claim that sugar could actually be healthier than low-

calorie sweeteners

One of the first rules of weight watching has always been: Put the

sugar bowl at the back of the cupboard and use low-calorie

sweeteners from now on.

 

But researchers suggested yesterday that dieters might be better

sticking with sugar after all.

 

They think that a sweet taste can prompt the body to prepare for a

large intake of calories.

 

When this does not arrive, the body then becomes confused and either

demands more food or burns less energy - with the result showing on

the scales.

 

" The data clearly indicate that consuming a food sweetened with no-

calorie saccharin can lead to greater body-weight gain than the same

food sweetened with high- calorie sugar, " say the U.S. team behind

the research.

 

They accept that the finding will seem baffling to those who have

long recommended the use of sweeteners to control weight.

 

 

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Other artificial sweeteners such as aspartame which do not lead to

the delivery of calories could have similar effects, the researchers

said in the journal Behavioural Neuroscience, published by the

American Psychological Association.

 

Scientists at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, fed some

rats with yogurt sweetened with saccharin and others with yogurt

sweetened with glucose, a natural sugar.

 

The saccharin-fed rats went on to consume more calories and put on

more weight and body fat.

 

The research drew a critical reaction-from the food industry.

 

" This study oversimplifies the causes of obesity, " said Beth

Hubrich, a dietitian with the Calorie Control Council, representing

companies which make diet foods and drinks.

 

" The causes of obesity are multi-factorial. Although surveys have

shown that there has been an increase in the use of 'sugar-free'

foods over the years, portion sizes of foods have also increased,

physical activity has decreased and overall calorie intake has

increased. "

 

The council also said findings in animal studies might not be

applicable to people, which the researchers acknowledged.

 

Davidson responded that the implication of the council's

statement " that they, too, are interested in the health of the

public seems insincere. If they were sincere, one might expect that

they would be alarmed by findings from animal or human models

suggesting that their products might be contributing to the obesity

epidemic that continues to expand and do its damage. "

 

Britons eat an average 150lb of pure sugar a year - more than 12lb

per month.

 

The typical family gets through 52lb a month of sugar in its

different forms.

 

The toll on health can be devastating. As well as causing dental

decay, too much sugar can lead to obesity and type 2 diabetes,

raising the risk of heart attack and stroke.