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12 Feb 2008
Health information for dieters could be changed in future following new research which suggests that consuming artificial sweeteners may not aid weight loss.
Scientists at Purdue University in the US found that rats fed on yoghurt sweetened with saccharin ate more calories, gained more weight and put on more body fat than a group of mice fed on yoghurt sweetened with sugar.
Researchers now believe that the use of saccharin could change the body's ability to regulate intake of calories and this could lead to over-eating.
The study's authors, Susan Swithers and Terry Davidson, added that the results may explain why obesity levels and the use of artificial sweeteners have risen in tandem in recent years.
"The data clearly indicate that consuming a food sweetened with no-calorie saccharin can lead to greater body-weight gain and adiposity than would consuming the same food sweetened with a higher-calorie sugar," the authors wrote.
The number of Americans consuming foods containing sugar-free sweeteners has doubled from 20 years ago to about 160 million today.
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