Two Interesting New Studies

Artificial Sweeteners Once Again Linked to Weight Gain
Foods and beverages that contain no-calorie artificial sweeteners may be ruining your ability to control your food intake and body weight, according to new research by psychologists at Purdue University’s Ingestive Behavior Research Center. In their study, when compared with rats that ate yogurt sweetened with glucose (a simple sugar), rats that ate yogurt sweetened with the zero-calorie artificial sweetener saccharin: Consumed more calories (and didn’t make up for it by cutting back later, gained more weight, and put on more body fat. It’s thought that consuming artificial sweeteners breaks the connection between a sweet sensation and a high-calorie food, thereby changing your body’s ability to regulate intake.

The researchers also measured the rats’ core body temperatures, which typically rise after eating. However, after eating a sweet, high-calorie meal, rats that ate saccharin had a lower rise in body temperature than rats that ate glucose. The researchers believe that this blunted biological response led the rats to overeat, and made it harder to burn off the calories later.

They concluded that consuming foods sweetened with saccharin would lead to greater weight gain and body fat than eating the same foods sweetened with sugar. Although further research needs to be done, the researchers believe that consuming other artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame K would have similar effects.
Sources:
Eurekalert February 10, 2008
Behavioral Neuroscience February 2008, Vol. 122, No. 1, 161-173

Why Don't The French Get Fat?
The French dine on baguettes, cheese, pate and pastries, all washed down with plenty of wine -- so why don’t they seem to get fat? This so-called “French paradox redux” that allows French people to eat all the “forbidden” foods and stay thin while Americans get fatter has been demystified by a new Cornell study.

Researchers found that while the French use internal cues -- such as no longer feeling hungry -- to stop eating, Americans use external cues -- such as whether their plate is empty, whether their beverage has run out and whether their TV program is over. The study, which analyzed questionnaires from 133 Parisians and 145 Chicagoans, also found that the heavier a person is, the more they rely on external cues to tell them to stop eating, and the less they rely on whether they feel full. Over time, the researchers concluded, instead of relying on external cues, using your body’s internal cues to tell you when to stop eating may improve your eating patterns.
Sources:
Eurekalert February 15, 2008
Obesity October 2007 15:2920-2924