July 20, 2016.
Consuming aspartame would make you fat. An Australian study has just proven that contrary to the expected effect when consumed, sugar substitutes lead to an increase in calorie intake.
Fake sugar would increase calorie intake by 30%
Many people imagine that in order to take care of their figure, the consumption of fake sugar is recommended. To start a diet, these people then consume aspartame, saccharin or sucralose.. Substances which, according to a recent study by a team of researchers from Charles-Perkins University in Sydney, actually have the opposite effect to that expected.
In findings published in the online journal Cell Metabolism, these scientists explain that as part of a diet, the consumption of fake sugar would even lead to a 30% increase in the number of calories ingested. To achieve this, these researchers conducted a study on rodents, subjecting them to a diet based on sucralose for several days. At the end of this first period, the mice returned to a normal diet and it was at this stage of the study that the scientists observed a 30% increase in caloric intake in the mice. The same conclusion was drawn from a second study conducted as Drosophila flies.
The brain searches for sugar to compensate for the lack
Researchers attribute this phenomenon to a reaction in the brain. According to them, the consumption of these substitutes indicates the absorption of sugar to the brain, without the calorie intake. Noting this deficit, the brain would then seek to fill the gap by seeking this contribution elsewhere and thus increasing the subject’s appetite.
” These results reinforce the idea that light versions of prepared foods and drinks are not as harmless as we thought. », Then indicates Herbert Herzog, principal author of the study. This is not the first time that these substitutes have been singled out. Different studies have proven the effect of chemical sweeteners on hyperactivity or insomnia.
Read also: Sugar and sweeteners: what you need to know
