There’s a simple rule to loosing weight – the less calories you take in, the better. Actually – if you burn more than you take in, your body is forced to use its own fat stores to provide fuel for your muscles. So, a healthy diet, combined with a good fitness program, can put you well on your way to loosing weight, and building both body and health. But, can artificial sweeteners help you loose weight?
Science has been split on whether low or no-calorie sweeteners like Splenda, Equal, or Stevia help or hinder weight loss. For example, drinking sugar free drinks rather than their sugary counterparts definitely creates a calorie deficit – and by default, can also help weight loss. But other experts argue that if you perceive sweetness from something that has no real nutritional value might send your body mixed signals, which could then send your metabolism and your cravings crazy. And this might actually cause you to gain, rather than loose weight.
The International Journal of Obesity concluded a study with 90 animal and 12 humans, with findings that show that there is truth to the idea that replacing sugar with no-calorie sweeteners does make you loose weight. Researchers found that over 10 months, there was an average of 3 pounds greater weight loss in those using artificial sweeteners rather than sugar.
What’s interesting though, is why we crave sugar, and how even though we may loose weight using artificial sweeteners, that it may also have a long term impact on our metabolism. Evolutionarily speaking, a sugary taste signaled to our brains that we were about to consume a high-energy food, says Yanina Pepino, Ph.D., a researcher at the Washington University School of Medicine. So, our bodies produced a hormonal response to prepare. Some evidence from mouse studies supports the idea that eating low-cal substitutes now means bingeing on sugary treats later.
So, the best way to use artificial sweeteners in your diet is probably to use them in the short term, but as a means to help transition to a healthy diet.
