'Diet' Foods Weight Gain Puzzle

[NashVegas]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7233459.stm

A study which showed that rats fed on artificial sweetener still put on weight has baffled researchers.

Scientists from Purdue University in the US now believe that a sweet taste followed by no calories may make the body crave extra food.

Their research, published in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience, found that rats fed sugar subsequently had lower appetites.

But nutritionists say that low-calorie sweeteners are still best for health.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. then the nutritionists are morons...

Over-processed, 'vitamin' added fake crap is NOT what your body needs.

Whole raw foods cooked by your own two little hands is key. Even sugar is okay in moderation.

[NashVegas]

2. My Weight Struggles of The Last 10 Years

Have mostly been a result of living in a non-walking city, or at least the sections I live and work in. This is something that developers and governments are going to have to come to grips with. Knowing what we do now about the importance of exercise, it's the height of irresponsibility for communities to refuse mixed-use zoning and expect everyone to make up for the lack of human-powered transportation-friendly cities by going to the gym for $600 per year.

That said, I believe the natural fats and sugars of traditional foods do trigger a shut-off mechanism in most people before the stuff in imitation foods.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

4. oh, I agree, activity is very important.

I lived in Portland proper for several years, and I could walk anywhere (on top of the awesome public transport system). I moved out here to the burbs last year and I HATE IT. Can't freaking walk to the store without having to walk next to traffic going 35 miles an hour, no sidewalk. Have to cross mega-parking lots cause there aren't any sidewalks or pedestrian paths. And don't get me started on the fricking street layouts. There's nothing worse than having to walk 5 fricking blocks in a roundabout way to get to the bus stop less than a block from my house. AGGGGHH!

[Bluestar]

3. It's interesting that this is finally being examined

Does anyone know who pioneered the approval of aspartame in the US? Donald Rumsfeld. To me that's a bad sign.

I used to be a diet Coke addict until I looked up aspartame on the web one day. Apparently, our bodies turn the chemicals from aspartame into formaldehyde! The day I heard that I got off the diet Coke completely. Within two weeks I couldn't believe how terrific I felt. I've been off of it for 4 years and I would encourage others to do so. I don't drink the sugary stuff now either but I think it's better for you than the diet version.

[Greyhound]

10. ...and formic acid. n/t

[El Pinko]

5. I was overweight, switched to diet soda and gained 70 lbs.

I've lost 100 lbs total since quitting "diet" and processed foods.

I've never known ANYONE who lost weight from diet soda.

The only people it makes sense for is diabetics, and even for them, it might be a good idea to learn an appreciation for drinks that aren't sweet, like unsweetened tea...

Aspartame is crap and makes you eat more, I'm 100 percent certain of that.

[Drunken Irishman]

6. Diet soda helped with me.

Of course I also cut back on my eating, which was probably the biggest reason for my weight loss.

The reason most don't lose weight while drinking diet soda is that they believe they can continue their eating habits, but the diet soda will somehow help them lose more weight. For me, diet soda has helped, but the most important thing was when I stopped eating snacks.

[monmouth]

7. 64 ozs. water daily, green tea and much exercise....Good stuff..n/t

[SoCalDem]

11. "I'll have a large hot fudge sundae with whipped cream & nuts"..& a diet coke

My son busted out laughing when the guy in front of him at DQ ordered than combo :)

[Drunken Irishman]

12. Exactly.

I see it all the time at fast food places. They order a bunch of fat and ask for a Diet Coke, as if it'll make things better.

The Diet Coke only works if you CUT BACK ON EATING FATTY FOODS!

[Solly Mack]

14. Long time ago, when Tab was the diet drink , a family of 4

..very large people...ordered a bunch of food (chili dogs, fries, burgers, etc) and Tabs...then they smiled and said they were "banking calories" (just like from the Tab commercials) ...the girl taking their order said "And your ass is collecting the interest"

True story.

I almost got fired. It just came out before I could stop myself. The commercial always struck me as silly and to actually hear someone use the line...

Not drinking soda...diet or otherwise, has been the best thing in the world for me.

[distantearlywarning]

16. One possible explanation for this phenomenon:

I'm sure this is not the average reason behind the behavior you describe, but...

I have an intolerance to high fructose corn syrup, particularly in liquid form. Occasionally I want to go out and have a food treat, like a cheeseburger or something, but I can't drink regular soda because I will be sick later if I do. And if I don't want iced tea or water with my cheeseburger, I'll drink diet soda instead. It's not that I think that adding diet soda will make up for the cheeseburger, it's that I can't drink the regular soda.

I realize that this is probably not the average case. But still, it sucks to be judged by other people like you all just did. Now I'm going to wonder next time I go to the burger place whether the people behind the register are making fun of me for ordering diet soda with my meal. Sigh.

Sometimes I wish we could all just stop worrying about other people's choices in life that don't affect us (like what people drink with their burger) and mind our own business. We'd probably be a better society for that.

[kineneb]

20. I order diet drinks- dental reasons

I am trying to keep my teeth happy by avoiding high doses of sugar. Sometimes I just want something with flavor and bubbles, but not sugar. Unfortunately, in most places that means diet cola.

I doubt it makes much difference in my caloric intake. I am drinking it for the liquid, bubbles and cold, not the sugar.

[distantearlywarning]

17. DUPE

Computer hiccupped.

[distantearlywarning]

18. DUPE

[Skittles]

27. he's still saving 300 calories by not drinking ten teaspoons of sugar

do people not understand this? I drink diet drinks and eat fatty foods a lot - but I exercise an hour every day, THAT'S what keeps my weight down

[El Pinko]

28. In my case I didn't save anything.

I got so addicted that all I drank, from morning to night was diet soda - usually a whole 2 lier bottle by myself.

But the longer I did it, the more I craved cookies, brownies, cakes - which was so weird because I had NEVER had a sweet tooth - my weakness was always salty stuff like nachos or chips.

But damn if I didn't eat like a whole row out of the Chips Ahoy package or a huge slice of cake from the supermarket.

There were other things I was eating too much of too, but the sweets became a weird compulsion.

Now I don't crave them at all. My sweet treat now is plain yogurt on top of apples with a few raisins sprinkled on top.

[Skittles]

29. well EVERYTHING is bad if you overdo it

absolutely

[El Pinko]

30. The point is, people drink "Diet" soda because they think it will help them lose weight...

...from what I've seen, in most cases it either contributes to weight gain by increasing cravings, or it has no effect at all.


I think a lot of people would be shocked at how many people "and lab rats" actually gained weight on the stuff.



I personally think people will be much better off dietwise when they stop reaching for a mass-produced product to solve their weight and health problems.

Simply eating a balanced diet based primarily of fresh vegetables and home-cooked real foods makes all the difference.

I didn't have to starve or anything - I just took a walk everyday, and cut out all the processed, refined foods, including those stupid, salty lunch meats. They cost so much, and it's so easy to bake up some chicken or turkey breasts at the beginning of the week, slice them and keep them in a tupperware for sandwiches - you get more protein, less salt and chemicals and for a lot less money.

And don't even get me started about the stupid "diet" frozen meals.

[Skittles]

34. I never cook

and I am very healthy :)

[trotsky]

36. And if anyone doubts it...

just KICK THEIR ASS!!!

[Feron]

39. I hate the taste of regular Coke.

It's too syrupy and sweet whereas Diet Coke is just right.

Not everyone who orders a Diet Coke is looking to avoid calories.

[SoCalDem]

8. Diet soda is the biggest scam ever... what's wrong with water?

or unsweetened iced tea??

When someone opens a can of diet soda near me, or tears open a little package of it..I can TASTE it, from the little micro whatevers that escape into MY airspace :(

I cannot imagine drinking or eating stuff with those chemical sweeteners in it..

[Cleita]

9. It's okay to use sugar in moderation when you diet.

I count calories, which is the only way I can lose weight, but I eat a little bit of everything, only less including butter and sugar. Sugar also helps give you a fuller feeling than the artificial sweetners do. One of my favorite snacks is the Pepperidge Farm 100 calorie snack pack of Chessmen. These are pure shortbread cookies of butter and sugar. I only allow myself one pack a day.

[Ellen Forradalom]

13. Aspartame gave me horrible headaches

I quit drinking diet sodas over 20 years ago. I'll eat darn near anything but I won't touch artificial sweeteners with a bargepole--they frighten me.

[otherlander]

15. "But nutritionists say that low-calorie sweeteners are still best for health."

WHAT nutritionists say this? The problem is that people are eating things that aren't even *food*. People: Eat things that you can actually comprehend the origins of. Less refined = better. Plants > animals.

[SoCalDem]

19. The nutritionists who work for Sweet n Low & Equal & the yellow one

:rofl:

[supernova]

21. I've been saying for years

that artificial sweetners increase my appetite.

I finally switched to agava syrup, a low GI sugar, and I don't get nearly so hungry.

[AlCzervik]

22. my problem with any of the artificial sweeteners was the fact that they are so sweet

it almost seemed to dull my taste buds so nothing ever tasted sweet or salty enough.

[supernova]

23. that too

Regular sweet stuff doesn't taste nearly so sweet in comparison.

I finnally stopped using it and opted for fizzy mineral water and a shot of lemon or lime juice when I want carbination.

[AlCzervik]

24. i like either drink plain old water or Pellegrino and of course---coffee.

[pitohui]

41. this is true for aspartame and saccharine, splenda (sucralose) is not so sweet

if you can tolerate sucralose, it might be the way to go

i find aspartame in particular to be sickeningly sweet but i guess everyone has different taste buds

[hfojvt]

25. that kinda fits what I experienced

I started drinking diet pop at work, and found I was just starving. An hour before break time and I would just feel very hungry. I finally gave it up after about a week. Half a pop is only about 80 calories, so I cannot understand why that would make a huge difference in hunger pangs.

[El Pinko]

31. I gave it up, but have not gone back to regular pop.

I might have a Coke once a year or so now. Mostly I have coffee or unsweetened tea. I put a little sugar in my coffee, but 2 teaspoons in a mug of coffee is nothing compared to the 12 tsp in a can of Coke.

And as others have mentioned, Coke has HFCS, and the effects of that on the body do raise some suspicion, so I try to keep HFCS consumption to a minimum.

[librechik]

26. Rats.

(study done on rats)

need more human studies. My doctor tells me Splenda still is better for me than sugar, or especially corn syrup.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

32. Splenda has CHLORINE in it.

Your doctor doesn't know his shit, it sounds like.

[Sgent]

35. So does table salt

in fact its half chlorine -- but you die without it.

[trotsky]

37. As does vancomycin, our antibiotic of last resort.

And swimming pools.
And chlorthalidone, a blood pressure medication.

But hey, let's not let a little basic chemistry or common sense get in the way of good old fashioned alarmism, right? :)

[Lorien]

33. I've got my suspicions about Splenda

I used to attend holidays at a friend's home where his in-laws always baked pies with Slenda. After every Holiday I came home with a splitting headache and body aches that felt like I was coming down with the flu. It was the third holiday when I learned that the pies had been bake with Splenda instead of sugar. I decided to try some Jones diet Soda (also made with Splenda) to see if Splenda was the real culprit. Sure enough-just half a soda later I had the same symptoms. Now the only sweet stuff that I eat is fruit and occasionally 60% or higher dark chocolate. Getting the rest of the sweet stuff out of my diet killed all those cravings-especially in the late afternoon.

[otherlander]

43. Corn syrup is pretty bad for you

which is what's in a lot of pre-packaged things, soda, candy, etc. But if it's something that just has regular cane sugar in it, or something like coffee that you add your own sugar to, the plain old sugar is probably healthier than the artificial sweetener unless you have something like diabetes.

[Jennicut]

38. I am a diabetic and use spenda alot

I use it for tea and have sugar free popsicles, jello, ect. I am the queen of trying sugar free stuff. I have tried so much of it over the last 3 years since I became diabetic at age 29. I was diagnosed as a gestational diabetic with my second pregnancy and it never went away. I guess I have been diabetic for years and never knew it. But I have tried everything. Some sugar free stuff tastes like cardboard and some of it takes pretty good. I am human and have cravings for sweet things but I cannot even have fruit sometimes. An orange will send my sugar skyrocketing. Juice is a very rare treat. I mostly drink flavored water and occasionally some diet soda when I need somethign besides water. Both have artifical sweeteners in them. I guess I figure my health is already complicated enough I'm just not going to worry about the artifical sweeteners. I take so many pills and injest myself with insulin daily. I even tried a new diabetic medication byetta which is litterally "lizard spit" and slows your digestion down so your blood sugar goes low and you have less of an appetitie because you are fuller. It was terrible and made me throw up every day. Anyways, I will just continue to use splends until something better comes along.

[pitohui]

40. you are absolutely doing the right thing

the risks of uncontrolled diabetes and even uncontrolled metabolic syndrome are so severe that it would be stupid to go back to using sugar

like you, my husband even has to control the amount of fruit -- 1/2 piece of fruit taken with cheese is OK, but an entire orange or another entire piece of fruit taken alone really spikes the meter -- i think a lot of "pop dieticians" do not understand how much sugar there really is in fruit, fruit and vegetables are lumped together, but they affect the blood glucose level in completely different ways!

splenda is to my mind the best tasting of the artificial sweeteners, and it is refined from sugar cane in a local factory, unfortunately i'm one of the few who does have an allergic reaction so i'm back to the saccharine

i think you and your doctor know what is better for your body better than do some rats

old studies already proved that rats don't process saccharine the way that primates do, and i'm not going to lose any sleep over this new study, show me some evidence that there is a mechanism by which people get fatter or more diabetic from artificial sweetener than from sugar or STFU is my advice to the rat scientists, do they truly not understand the damage they are doing?

if someone has a bad reaction to splenda, fine, don't use it, but don't take it away from those who can and do use it safely

[Jennicut]

42. Thank You!

I really can't worry about it anymore or it would drive me crazy. I'm glad I'm not the only one going through this. I wish your husband well. Its a tough disease to tackle and understand and at the age of 32 I have to live with it the rest of my life.