Artificial sweeteners confuse the brain’s ability to regulate body weight and could encourage people to over-eat. A studt reveals low calorie soft drinks may do more harm than good for people desperate to shed excess pounds.
The findings, published in the International Journal of Obesity, come from Purdue University, Indiana, where rats given low calorie and high calorie sweet drinks had bigger appetites than those given just sugary drinks.
Prof Terry Davidson, an expert in behavioural neuroscience, said: “The body’s natural ability to regulate food intake and body weight may be weakened when this natural relationship is impaired by artificial sweeteners.”