Replacing Sugar with Artificial Sweeteners: Is the Replacement of Sugar with Artificial Sweeteners an Effective Strategy for Weight Loss?

Authors

• Maragret McCoy

Abstract

In America today there is great concern about obesity. In an attempt to balance a busy daily life with a healthy diet, consumers are now relying on artificial sweeteners to help them make a small step to a better lifestyle. With this notion in mind, there is the question of whether these artificial sweeteners are healthy. This paper discusses the effects of artificial sweeteners on weight and caloric compensation, and considers some hypotheses regarding the reasons for weight gain.

A review of literature led to the conclusion that artificial sweeteners can be 100-13,000 times sweeter than sucrose and that sucrose consumers who used artificial sweeteners daily could build a tolerance level towards them (Bellisle & Drewnowski, 2007). After a tolerance level is set, consumers would be at a greater risk to seek after sugar cravings relative to sugar itself that could lead them to obesity (Bellisle & Drewnowski, 2007).  In addition, it was found in two studies by Swithers, Martin, Davidson (2010) that when rats were fed the artificial sweeteners saccharin and acesulfame potassium they gained more weight than rats that were fed glucose. Overall, it was found that consumers need to be cautious when consuming artificial sweeteners.

Recommended Citation

McCoy, Maragret (2012) "Replacing Sugar with Artificial Sweeteners: Is the Replacement of Sugar with Artificial Sweeteners an Effective Strategy for Weight Loss?," Caravel Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/caravel/vol1/iss1/2