Sweetener Worse than Sugar for Dieters?

Some recent animal data reported in the journal Behavioral Sciences suggests that consumption of artificial sweeteners may promote increased caloric intake by interfering with the body's normal response to sweet taste. . .

. . . rats [were given] set amounts of yogurt sweetened with either sucrose or saccharin, plus an unrestricted supply of ordinary rat food and water. Five weeks later, the saccharin-fed rats had eaten more food, gained more weight and put on more body fat than the others. The researchers also found that giving the sucrose-fed rats a high-calorie chocolate pudding treat made them eat less afterwards, whereas the saccharin-trained rats showed less restraint in what they ate next. >Full Story: NewScientist

Americans consuming foods containing sugar-free sweeteners increased from 70 million to 160 million between 1987 and 2000. Although these data don't prove a cause and effect relationship, obesity in the U.S. has increased from 15% to 30% over the same time period. Surgar-free food for thought. . .