Many recipes we share tell people to use the sweetener of their choice. Sweeteners have different flavors, and people prefer ones based on their characteristics or aftertaste. However, a new study may make you want to avoid sucralose, sold under the name Splenda. It may cause weight gain.
People who drank water sweetened with sucralose had increased appetites by 20 percent compared to those who drank water mixed with white sugar. The study was highly controlled. It gave the same participants three different drinks on three separate test days. They used plain water as their control.
“Sucralose activates the area in the brain that regulates hunger, and that activation, in turn, is linked to greater ratings of hunger,” said Dr. Katie Page. Dr. Page, from the Univ. of Southern California, was the lead author of the new research.
Sucralose did not change hormones in the brain that tell people they are satiated or hungry. Instead, it impacted the reward center that influences choices.
We always remind people that a healthy diet can include almost anything in moderation. If you enjoy a food, you can find a way to work it into your rotation; you just have to be mindful. But, we would never recommend people with blood sugar concerns use sugar over a low-carb alternative.
Picking the right sweetener for you and limiting treats to being special rather than a part of every meal can make a big difference. The study only looked at sucralose. It didn’t check how other sweeteners interact with the brain.
Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine, reviewed the study. He was not involved in the research. He said it was “a very high quality study, using state of the art methods and careful analysis.”
Dr. Katz also said that the work showed “non-caloric sweeteners, and sucralose specifically, interfere with normal appetite regulation in ways that could have adverse effects on weight control and health.”
For the tests, the researchers started each session by taking the participants fasting blood sugar. Next, they gave them a brain scan to look at the activity in the hunger areas of the brain. Then, the people would drink the drink of the day. Then, they would get another brain scan. They would have their blood sugar tests 10 minutes, 35 minutes and 120 minutes after their drinks and be asked to rate their hunger.
Older studies on animals suggested the result. Then some human trials had agreed. However, this is the first study to show what is happening inside the brain.
The current theory is that non-caloric sweeteners may make people hungry because they confuse the brain. Our brains are biologically wired to respond to natural sweetness — like sugar in fruit. When we taste something sweet, but the brain doesn’t get any of its calorie needs or expectations met, it may tell us to eat more, regardless of whether we’re hungry.
