There is some interesting research out there indicating that drinking artificially sweetened foods actually causes weight gain, at least in rats.
The rats that were given artificially sweetened food tended to eat more of other high calorie foods when they were available. The hypothesis explaining the data is that “artificial sweeteners condition the body to no longer associate sweetness with calories, thereby disrupting its ability to accurately assess caloric intake. This disruption… may lead to overeating.”
See this for the simple summary, or this for the full paper from a medical journal.
This could help explain the surge in obesity in this country. Drinking diet drinks to lose weight may be like using gasoline to put out a fire.
This is interesting and also very disturbing. I hope the news media will get the word out and/or doctors start telling their patients.
Comment by Dianna — February 21, 2008 @ 4:49 pm
Give me the full sugar version any day! Can’t stand the taste of artificial sweeteners.
Comment by Donna — February 21, 2008 @ 5:22 pm
They are Rats after all and therefore lack the ability to understand what Lo-Calorie means. This doesn’t seem like anything eye opening. It also doesn’t seem to make any case for humans and artificial sweeteners.
Comment by Don — February 21, 2008 @ 5:30 pm
Here’s another study of humans, showing correlation between drinking diet drinks and a host of other problems, including obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol.
Correlation does not prove cause and effect, but this data taken along with the rat studies support the contention that artificial sweeteners don’t help you lose weight, and instead cause weight gain. They just seem to confuse your metabolic system, with bad results.
Comment by Daryl — February 21, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
I suspect there is a lot more to it than simply saying that drinking diet soda makes you fat. After all, rats don’t understand anything about calories, or the effect they have on their bodies. And, they don’t have wives who constantly remind them not to eat sweets. 🙂
Comment by Richard — February 21, 2008 @ 7:26 pm
I’m glad that pop no longer tastes good to me, and I don’t drink it, sweetened or unsweetened–just good tea with its antioxidants.
Comment by Grandma — February 21, 2008 @ 8:42 pm
I bet that on a disciplined diet where you are carefully watching everything you eat, artificial sweeteners could be used without causing weight gain. But these studies suggest that it might make the diet more difficult, as you would not be as easily satiated.
They also suggest that in a situation where you were not watching your intake, but just eating until you didn’t feel hungry, consumption of artificial sweeteners could very likely cause you to gain more weight than you would otherwise.
Agreed, one study is about rats, the other, though with humans, doesn’t show cause and effect. But it’s enough evidence to make me quit, at least until there is more data.
Comment by Daryl — February 22, 2008 @ 8:49 am
As long ago as I was working at Forrester’s, the cook was talking about this subject. Apparently, some people have long studied it. Whenever he saw anyone with a diet drink, he would say, “You will not lose weight drinking Diet Pepsi, or Coke, or whatever.” That was at least 25 years ago.
Comment by Grandma — February 22, 2008 @ 10:05 am
I think a lot has to do with people believing they can eat a 1000 calorie cheeseburger and then drink a diet coke to balance it out. It doesn’t work that way. You have to eat the 100 calorie salad and then you can drink a diet soda to keep it low.
Comment by Don — February 22, 2008 @ 2:54 pm
Hi. My Name is Heather, and I am a Diet Cokeaholic. It is all about the taste to me not the calories or sweetener.
Comment by Heather — February 23, 2008 @ 7:49 am
So you prefer the taste of diet Coke to regular Coke?!?
Comment by Daryl — February 23, 2008 @ 12:03 pm
That’s my daughter….
Comment by Don — February 23, 2008 @ 6:12 pm
yep! I can’t stand Diet Pepsi!
Comment by Heather — February 23, 2008 @ 6:18 pm
Off topic. If you would put a different theme on your blog then we could probably have all the links available even when we click on comments. I know it seems silly to complain about having to go back to your main page to get a link but call me silly.
Comment by Don — February 24, 2008 @ 10:55 am
it bugs me too. i have an order that i check blogs in and i always check this one last. because I can’t connect to anyone else’s blog.
Comment by jocelyn — February 25, 2008 @ 10:21 am
WOW!!!! WOW!!! WOW!!!
Now that’s what I’m talking about!
Comment by Don — February 25, 2008 @ 8:26 pm
Nice new theme, but that doesn’t look like Apollo.
Comment by Richard — February 25, 2008 @ 8:57 pm
It doesn’t look like Daryl’s yard, either.
Comment by Grandma — February 26, 2008 @ 10:03 am
OK, I hope everybody is happy now! New WordPress version, new theme, new pictures.
Next, I bet you will be wanting me to put in widgets and other such folderol!
Comment by Daryl — February 26, 2008 @ 4:05 pm
Very nice theme! I love it!
Comment by Heather — February 26, 2008 @ 5:22 pm
Wow! I thought I had gone to the wrong page! This looks great. I like that you get different pictures when you go to different links.
Now just put a “recent comments” widget in the sidebar, and it’ll be perfect!
Comment by Donna — February 26, 2008 @ 7:03 pm
Oh oh! And a weather widget would be great too!
Comment by Don — February 27, 2008 @ 6:39 am
Those two boys could make money posing for a toothpaste commercial.
Comment by Grandma — February 27, 2008 @ 3:04 pm
Did you at least look at all the widgets available?
Comment by Don — March 6, 2008 @ 8:04 am
Happy Birthday real soon Daryl!
Comment by Don — March 7, 2008 @ 7:22 pm
Let’s not hurry it along; 56 is old enough for now!
Comment by Daryl — March 8, 2008 @ 11:28 am