General Nutrition and Diet Facts

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Artificial Sweeteners

 

According to some researches artificial sweeteners may interfere with the body's natural ability to count calories based on a food's sweetness and make people prone to overindulging in other sweet foods and beverages.
Researchers say the findings show that losing the ability to judge a food's calorie content based on its sweetness may be contributing to the dramatic rise in overweight and obesity rates. When you do drink beverages you probably need to pay a little more attention to whether they have calories or not and what the consequences of that fact will be on the rest of your diet.
A food's sweetness provided valuable clues about its caloric content, and something sweet was usually a good source of energy.
More people are drinking and eating foods sweetened with low-calorie sweeteners, they are not getting any thinner. In contrast, more people are becoming overweight or obese.
Health psychologist says that damaging the body's natural ability to count calories based on food's sweetness is just one way in which food can be manipulated to change eating habits and contribute to obesity.
When manufacturers lower the sugar content in foods, they typically increase the fat or the salt content to compensate for any change in how it tastes or feels in the mouth. For example, sugar-free ice creams can be made higher in fat content.
Sugar-free foods can still be calorie-dense, and that can mess up weight.
The body's natural calorie counter and sense of balance is also affected by genetics, environment, marketing, and physical activity level.