Artificial Sweeteners May Be Counterproductive for Dieters

Using artificial sweeteners to help lose weight may backfire. In a new study, researchers offered fruit flies diets with different amounts of carbs and sweeteners and then tracked their food intake. The research team found that artificial sweeteners combined with a low carbohydrate diet significantly increased the quantity of calories consumed by the flies. This increase varied according to the dose of sweeteners provided and was not observed among flies that consumed unsweetened foods. Cell Metabolism, August 2017