Interesting Research

While I don't generally comment about weight-related issues, a new study posits a link between artificial sweeteners and weight gain. Certainly, it seems like every week there are reports about a newly-discovered contributing factor.

Why is this one so interesting?

Well, have you ever noticed that the people drinking diet pop and eating "light" snacks are rarely the thinnest in the room? This study reverses the assumed cause and effect. Rather than consuming diet products because one wants/needs to lose weight, what if one wants/needs to lose weight because of the diet products? Or at the very least the products are not helping.

Beyond the possibility that these products actually have the reverse effect that one intends, there is the issue of ingesting chemicals rather than a natural product (e.g., Equal vs. sugar). Have you ever compared the ingredients of a "light" product with the regular version? Diet foods typically have more ingredients and, thus, more chemicals than their higher fat/calorie/sugar predecessors.

And then there's my personal beef with artificial sweeteners: they taste horrible. All of them. Even Splenda. Blech. I know some of you like the taste. So well, even, that you might have 3,000 packets in your cupboard. :)

So if not for reasons of taste or chemicals, perhaps the fact (still up for debate, I suppose) that artificial sweeteners may have the opposite of their intended weight control effect will encourage use of sugar and honey and stevia if proven safe.

As with all of my posts, but I think especially important to emphasize, this information is shared with love!