Opting for a diet soft drink over a regular soda may not be the best way to fight obesity, according to new research from Purdue University.
Scientists at Purdue compared weight gain and eating habits in rats whose diets were supplemented with food sweetened with both with sugar and sugar substitutes. Published in Behavioral Neuroscience, this new report offers strong evidence that animals fed with artificially sweetened foods actually consumed more calories and gained more weight than animals eating foods flavored with glucose, a natural, high-calorie sweetener.
Check out the full study at www.purdue.edu



December 6, 2010 at 6:19 pm
Link to primary source is broken.
December 6, 2010 at 7:36 pm
Interesting. Thank you. I googled it and it’s just gone. They changed their site, so I’m hoping they just didn’t realize how important preserving old links can be and it will return so I can link it again. But it does make me go hmmm…
January 15, 2011 at 4:16 pm
Website redesign now has the primary source here:
http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bne-feb08-swithers.pdf
January 15, 2011 at 4:52 pm
Thank you for the link!
April 25, 2011 at 4:49 pm
Extremely fascinating website, good job. Keep it up
May 4, 2011 at 8:41 pm
a mix of calorie control and use of Non nutritive sweetners will still be more effective. Rats may not be able to control the baser urges, but we have the ability to control our diet and non nutrititve sweetners are a way to achieve sweetness without increasing calories
May 4, 2011 at 8:50 pm
I don’t agree, Ben. Although you’re entitled to your opinion, people tend to trust what the FDA says is OK. Even years and years later, as a culture we are having a hard time letting go of cigarettes, for example — something that clearly is not good for our health. If you’re advocating moderation, why don’t you advocate moderation with something like raw sugar.