Studies Can artificial sweeteners cause severe hunger?

Artificial sweeteners lead to increased calorie intake in animals
There has been discussion for years about this topic: sugar or sweetener. Researchers have now found in an animal experiment that artificial sweeteners can increase appetite. In the experiment, the discrepancy between sweet taste and less calories caused the experimental animals to become more hungry and eat more calories.

Researchers at Sydney University have now discovered that mice and fruit flies respond to artificial sweeteners with more hunger. The animals tried to balance the imbalance of sweetness and energy with increased calorie intake. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Cell Metabolism".

Experts have long argued whether it is healthier to use sugar or artificial sweeteners. Physicians have now found that artificial sweeteners in animals cause them to ingest more calories. (Image: Monika Wisniewska / fotolia.com)

Researchers are studying the effects of artificial sweeteners on mice and insects
In the new study, the Australian experts noted that signals associated with appetite and pleasure in the brain of insects and rodents limit what and how much the animals eat. The researchers fed some of the test animals with food that contained normal sugars, the other animals got sugar substitutes.

Sweetness and energy should be in balance
The scientists observed in their research that if sweetness and energy were out of balance for a long time, the brains of the animals signaled to increase the number of calories consumed. So the animals began to eat more and gained weight.

Chronic sweetener consumption increases the intensity of nutritive sugar
When the experts looked at why the animals consumed more food, even though they actually consumed enough calories, it was found that chronic consumption of artificial sweetener actually increases the intensity of real nutritive sugar. This process then increases the animal's motivation to eat even more, says Professor Greg Neely.

Sugar or sweetener?
The opinions on sugar and sweeteners are usually far apart. Advocates of artificial sweeteners, for example, argue that they are better for our teeth and better for our weight. However, sweeteners say that sweeteners change the sense of taste and in no way stop the appetite for sugar.

Expected stevia boom was missed
Some time ago Stevia was approved in Europe. The low-calorie and non-toxic sweetener was supposed to revolutionize nutrition. It sounded like a dream, eating sweets and still eating well. The sweetener stevia is derived from a plant and was already considered the sweetener of the future. But the big stevia miracle did not happen. Nevertheless, the sweetener should not be completely written off.

Further study with human subjects is urgently needed
However, the researchers say that further studies are urgently needed to ensure that billions of people regularly consume the sugar substitutes do not have the same reaction as the experimental animals. The diet taken by the rodents was simple, so it is questionable whether the results would be similar in humans' highly complex diets. (As)