Since there's been discussion here recently about artificial sweeteners, I thought I'd share this article. If you subscribe to Barbara Thompson's newsletter, you've probably already seen it. I thought it was interesting reading. I'm going to see if I can find the Purdue study and read more about it.

(Just a note: The article states that aspartame is Sweet & Low. I believe S&L is saccharine.)


Artificial Sweeteners: A new study from Purdue University indicates that artificial sweeteners can cause us to gain weight. In this study researchers used two groups of rats. The first group of rats, Group A, was fed yogurt with sugar in it. The second group of rats, Group B, was fed yogurt with artificial sweetener in it. The Group B rats, which ate the artificial sweetener:

• Consumed more calories
• Gained more weight
• Put on more body fat

The researchers concluded several things. One is that when you consume an artificial sweetener, your body expects that you will be consuming something sweet that has calories in it. When the calories aren't there, your body looks for those calories that it missed. This causes you to be hungry and to have cravings. So it is the sweet taste followed by no calories that is the culprit. The study was done using aspartame which is Sweet and Low, but researchers believe that the same results would hold true for Splenda and Stevia, even though they are natural non-caloric sweeteners. This is because in all of them there is the sweet taste followed by no calories.

Something else that the researchers discovered is that when we are ready to eat, our metabolism revs up. When the Group A rats who were being fed sugar were given something high caloric to eat, their metabolism increased and they burned more calories. When the Group B rats who were accustomed to eating the artificial sweetener yogurt were given the same high caloric food to eat, their metabolism didn't rev up, and they burned fewer calories. This is because their bodies had grown accustomed to a sweet taste followed by no calories. So that when they were given something sweet with calories their bodies didn't react naturally.

Artificial sweeteners have been around for a long time. Scientists are now wondering if the increased use of artificial sweeteners could be one of the causes of the increase in obesity in our country. The use of artificial sweeteners directly parallels the rise in obesity.

Artificial sweeteners have been looked at for a long time. One very large study involved 18,000 people over a five to nine year period of time. This study found that those who drank as little as one diet soda per day gained weight and were at a 30 to 40% more risk of developing a metabolic syndrome such as diabetes.

This is terrible news for those of us who've had weight loss surgery and especially for those who experience dumping. Most of us are dependent upon artificial sweeteners in our diet. Eliminating artificial sweeteners is not going to be easy. Just think of all the products that we consume that contain them, such as diet soda, Crystal Light, diet pudding, light yogurt - anything and everything that we can seek out that has fewer calories.

I don't think we can ignore this study. I think it's important to take a good look at what we eat and how much artificial sweetener we consume. We can't eliminate artificial sweeteners immediately from our diets, but what we can do is to try to cut back. Eliminate the diet soda and replace it with water. If we use two packets of artificial sweetener in our coffee or tea, cut back to one packet. If we use one packet try to cut down to one half packet.

It won't be easy. We've become accustomed to an intense sweetness. Sucralose which is what Splenda is, is 600 times sweeter than table sugar. Think where you might be able to cut back on artificial sweeteners. That may very well help you to lose more weight or at least to maintain your current weight more easily.

Good luck!

"Reprinted from Barbara Thompson's free e-newsletter featuring helpful information and research material to help patients succeed following weight loss surgery. Subscribe at http://www.wlscenter.com/E-Newsletter.htm "

Hey Vivian...I did read the Purdue study and that is what really inspired me to do the one day boycott of all artificial sweeteners. It was NOT easy, as I didn't even have a clue how much I took in.

I've made a few changes. I am not ready to give up my protein bar, as it is part of my program for losing these last few pounds. I'll probably make an adjustment when I'm done with that part of things. I have made the switch from coffee to tea, as I just don't enjoy my coffee black, unless it is an Americano from Peet's! It's not realistic for me to have that every day, so instead, I'm brewing tea in the morning...I enjoy my tea black! And guess what? Peet's has some fabulous teas to chose from! I'm loyal, what can I say? I am also weaning myself off of the Crystal Light. Today, I only had two bottles. Once I get through the two buckets of chewable Calcium Citrate's, I'll switch to the regular caplets.

Minor adjustments will help me along with this journey we call "Living After WLS"!!!

<<Minor adjustments will help me along with this journey we call "Living After WLS"!!!>>

Yep, baby steps, Kim.

That's what I keep having to remind myself about. Once I decide to do something, I want to do it ALL right now and ALL at once - with immediate results, of course. Then I fail miserably because I've undertaken too much at once. "Baby steps, Viv, baby steps!"

Good info catsroomie! Thank you for posting this. I've been switching over slowly to stevia and getting used to the flavor and how little it takes. I'll have to figure out how to make my own lemonade with it, then I'll be pretty much done. I've got the decaf iced tea ratio figured out. Oh, and I'd like to figure out a good protein powder that isn't sweetened with aspartame or splenda...I'll save the protein bars for special occasions. Now, what to do with that huge bag of splenda I've had for the past 2 years? I bought it pre op thinking I'd use it to bake with of all things. I've not been doing any baking to speak of! laughing...

This is all good stuff. Thanks again for the thought provoking post.

Vivian- since I have never used A.S. I kind of don’t understand…. I just don’t eat pudding, jell-o, diet sodas, crystal light and Ice cream… But then again I can eat items with sugar…. but then again I have gain 50 pounds in the last few years but that was because of emotional eating which means that I’m eating high carb foods…I will say that my first three years I did not eat any white foods/carbs/desserts. I stuck to my protein and veggies. Then I moved to Paris and ate everything but lost weigh!!!! Cause the food in France is great and you walk everywhere…I think that giving up A.S. is just like giving up the sugar… up until three years ago I was not doing much sugar I was a vegan so I was not eating much of anything. I think it is best to eat foods that are whole and natural as can be…Drinking water is my big problem… Wish you the best



But if you do the 5 day pouch test without any of those artificial sweeteners, use a protein powder without artificial sweeteners,(I used V8-juice, chicken and veggie broth to mix my PP in. So I was not eating anything sweet excepts some grapes on the first day, because I was really weak. But that took care of my sweet addition). That should help with the sweet cravings.