Sugar-free beverages increase the desire for food in women and obese people

JAMA Sub-Journal: Sugar-free beverages increase the appetite of women and obese people, and are not conducive to weight loss

With the development of the economy and the improvement of living standards, obesity has become a major public health problem worldwide

In fact, obesity is not only a feature, but also a disease

In order to reduce the impact of sugar on health and obesity, more and more people start to consume artificial sweeteners instead of ordinary sugar (sugar substitute)

However, the health effects of artificial sweeteners are still controversial, and their effects on appetite, glucose metabolism and body weight have not yet formed a clear consensus

On September 28, 2021, researchers from the University of Southern California published a randomized crossover trial titled "Obesity and Gender and the Effects of Sucralose and Sucralose on Differences in Appetite and Reward Management" in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The results of this study on the effects of artificial sweeteners on human brain activity and appetite show that beverages containing artificial sweetener sucralose may increase the appetite of women and obese people

The corresponding author of the study and an associate professor at the University of Southern California, Kathleen Page, said that many people now use artificial sweeteners to help lose weight, but this is controversial

Some studies have shown that artificial sweeteners can help weight loss, but there are also studies that show that artificial sweeteners may cause weight gain, promote type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders

In order to find out the reasons behind these contradictory research results, the research team conducted a new experiment

Note: Sucralose is a widely used artificial sweetener with the characteristics of no energy, high sweetness and pure sweetness

These participants include men and women, including healthy weight, overweight and obesity, the purpose is to study the impact of artificial sweeteners on different populations

Within two hours after drinking, the research team performed three tests or records:

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Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) studies have shown that compared with drinks containing real sugar, women and obese people have increased activity in the brain regions responsible for appetite after drinking beverages containing sucralose

The study also showed that, compared with beverages containing real sugar, the hormones related to satiety were reduced after participants drank sucralose-containing beverages, indicating that beverages containing artificial sweeteners may not be effective in suppressing satiety Sense
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In addition, after the female participants drank sucralose-containing beverages, they ate more at the buffet, while the food intake of the male participants did not change
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The research team said that through the study of different populations, these results show that artificial sweeteners have an impact on human nerves and behavior
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Women and obese people may be more sensitive to artificial sweeteners
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They drink artificial sweeteners
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Drinks may cause hunger in the brain, leading to more calorie intake, which is obviously not conducive to weight loss
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This study also reminds us that popular sugar-free beverages that use artificial sweeteners may not be a good choice for weight loss
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They can even increase appetite and cause weight gain
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Article link: https://jamanetwork.
com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2784545