One of the only negatives of synthetic sweeteners is the possibility it maintains a craving for sweet foods, which can increase the intake of sugar and overall calories. That's an effect seen in animals studies when the animals can eat ad libitum. This study may explain the actual mechanism.

In human studies where calories are controlled, they do not find synthetic sweeteners hinder weight loss, and some studies find a slight benefit. The reason is obvious: controlled calories, and many on a diet find their non calorie drinks very helpful during a diet as in "if you try and take my crystal light pre contest I'll kill you."

Hence, as with most things, artificial sweeteners can be a benefit for a negative depending on some factors and who is using them and why.

New research sheds light on artificial sweeteners' impact in the brain

Studies in both animals and humans have suggested that consuming artificial sweeteners can make you feel hungry and actually eat more. A comprehensive new study co-led by the University of Sydney has revealed for the first time why this response occurs.

Published today in the prestigious journal Cell Metabolism, the results shed light on the effects of artificial sweeteners on the brain in regulating appetite and in altering taste perceptions.

Researchers from the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre and the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have identified a new system in the brain that senses and integrates the sweetness and energy content of food.

"After chronic exposure to a diet that contained the artificial sweetener sucralose, we saw that animals began eating a lot more," said lead researcher Associate Professor Greg Neely from the University of Sydney's Faculty of Science.

"Through systematic investigation of this effect, we found that inside the brain's reward centres, sweet sensation is integrated with energy content. When sweetness versus energy is out of balance for a period of time, the brain recalibrates and increases total calories consumed."

In the study, fruit flies that were exposed to a diet laced with artificial sweetener for prolonged periods (more than five days) were found to consume 30 percent more calories when they were then given naturally sweetened food.

"When we investigated why animals were eating more even though they had enough calories, we found that chronic consumption of this artificial sweetener actually increases the sweet intensity of real nutritive sugar, and this then increases the animal’s overall motivation to eat more food," said Associate Professor Neely.

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http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/ne...-appetite.html