“artificial sweeteners, precisely because they are sweet, encourage sugar craving and sugar dependence”

“Sweetness decoupled from caloric content offers partial, but not complete, activation of the food reward pathways. …. Animals seek food to satisfy the inherent craving for sweetness, even in the absence of energy need. Lack of complete satisfaction, likely because of the failure to activate the postingestive component, further fuels the food seeking behavior. Reduction in reward response may contribute to obesity”

“Evidence from RCTs [randomised control trials] does not clearly support the intended benefits of nonnutritive sweeteners for weight management [weight loss], and observational data suggest that routine intake of nonnutritive sweeteners may be associated with increased BMI [increased weight] and cardiometabolic risk [diabetes, heart disease or stroke]”

Higher intake of artificially sweetened beverages was associated with increased risk of stroke, particularly small artery occlusion subtype, coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality.”

“Intake of saccharin, acesulfame-potassium, or stevia and saccharin have been linked to weight gain and increased adiposity. Additionally, saccharin and aspartame have been also associated with impaired glucose homeostasis and hyperinsulinemia.”

“This study found that sugar replacements can also cause health changes that are linked with diabetes and obesity, suggesting that switching from regular to diet soda may be a case of ‘out of the frying pan, into the fire.’”

“This new study is the largest examination to date that tracks biochemical changes in the body — using an approach known as unbiased high-throughput metabolomics — after consumption of sugar or sugar substitutes. Researchers also looked at impacts on vascular health by studying how the substances affect the lining of blood vessels. The studies were conducted in rats and cell cultures.”

“Despite the addition of these non-caloric artificial sweeteners to our everyday diets, there has still been a drastic rise in obesity and diabetes,” said lead researcher Brian Hoffmann, PhD, assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University. “In our studies, both sugar and artificial sweeteners seem to exhibit negative effects linked to obesity and diabetes, albeit through very different mechanisms from each other.”

“Data in both animal models and humans suggest that the effects of artificial sweeteners may contribute to metabolic syndrome and the obesity epidemic. Artificial sweeteners appear to change the host microbiome, lead to decreased satiety, and alter glucose homeostasis, and are associated with increased caloric consumption and weight gain. Artificial sweeteners are marketed as a healthy alternative to sugar and as a tool for weight loss. Data however suggests that the intended effects do not correlate with what is seen in clinical practice. “

“Associations observed in long-term prospective studies raise the concern that regular consumption of artificial sweeteners might actually contribute to development of metabolic derangements that lead to obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”…

… “Results from animal studies in both the agricultural sector and the laboratory indicate that artificial sweeteners may not only promote food intake and weight gain but can also induce metabolic alterations in a wide range of animal species”