Sugar-Free Sweeteners May Lead To Weight Gain

Many people use artificial sugars or sugar substitutes to help  control weight or blood sugar levels. However, more recent research suggests these products may increase cravings for sweet foods, promote excess eating, disrupt the body’s ability to accurately access energy intake and reduce calorie burning efficiency. Thus, though often used to control weight, they may promote weight gain.

Josephine Connolly-Schoonen, R.D., Ph.D., Nutrition Expert with Stony Brook University Medical Center in Stony Brook, NY, says the best way to reduce consumption of all sweeteners is to go back to using natural sugar, then slowly cut back on the daily amounts.

It’s not easy to make the transition. Artificial sweeteners have an intensely sweet taste and the body becomes accustomed to that level of sweetness. So initially, a person may need to use more sugar than usual to make the food or drink palatable until the taste buds have been retrained. Schoonen cautions that many packaged products contain artificial sweeteners so shoppers need to read labels. Since only small amounts of artificial sugar are needed, the sweetener is more likely to be listed at the end of the ingredients list rather than the beginning.

Patients with diabetes must be careful about how much sugar they use and should speak with a nutrition expert before making any dietary changes.