When it comes to dieting, most of us are willing to resort to a trick or two to help us curb our appetite and eat less. For example, drinking water to fill up when we're hungry or opting for artificial sweeteners instead of sugar to get the same satisfying sweetness without the offending calories. But a new research suggests that the body is not so easily fooled, and that sugar substitutes are no key to weight loss — perhaps helping to explain why, despite a plethora of low-calorie food and drink, Americans are heavier than ever. In a series of experiments, scientists at Purdue University compared weight gain and eating habits in rats whose diets were supplemented with sweetened food containing either zero-calorie saccharin or sugar. The findings was a surprise. Animals fed with artificially sweetened yogurt over a two-week period consumed more calories and gained more weight, mostly in the form of fat, than animals eating yogurt flavored with glucose, a natural, high-calorie sweetener. So does that mean you should ditch the artificial sweeteners and welcome sugar back into your life? Not exactly. Excess sugar in the diet can lead to diabetes and heart disease, even independent of its effect on weight. But it is still important to remember that when it comes to counting calories, it's not just the ones you eat that you have to worry about. The calories you give up matter too, and they may very well reappear in that extra helping of pasta or dessert that your body demands. Your body may actually be keeping better count than you are.
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