Sugar substitutes can increase hunger, affect weight loss strategies, study says
Sucralose, a widely used alternative to sugar, could actually increase hunger and negatively affect weight loss, a new study says
People who use sugar substitutes in an effort to lose or control their weight could be making matters worse, according to recently published research in the journal Nature Metabolism.
According to a team of scientists based in Germany and the United States, sucralose, a widely used alternative to sugar, has been found to increase activity in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that contributes to managing the appetite.
The researchers, from the German Centre for Diabetes Research in Düsseldorf and the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, tested how 75 participants responded after drinking one of three drinks: water, a drink sweetened with sucralose, or a drink sweetened with regular sugar.
They collected brain scans, blood samples and hunger ratings before and after participants consumed the drink.
Sucralose, they found, increased hunger and activity in the hypothalamus, especially in people with obesity. It also changed the way the hypothalamus communicated with other brain regions.