Why sweeteners increase appetite
The results of animal studies, as well as clinical studies, indicate that the use of artificial sweeteners can cause hunger, which leads to the consumption of more food. Researchers at the University of Sydney, working under the guidance of Associate Professor Greg Neely, have lifted the veil over the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon.
As part of their work, they kept fruit flies-fruit flies on a diet enriched with the sweetener sucralose for long periods of time (more than 5 days). Observation of the eating behavior of insects showed that the consumption of sucralose increased the amount of food they ate by 30% compared to flies fed with natural carbohydrates.
In search of an answer to the question why animals eat more even if they receive enough calories in the body, researchers have found that chronic consumption of sucralose increases the intensity of the sweetness of natural carbohydrates and thereby increases the motivation of the animal to consume food.
They managed to make a functional map of a previously unknown complex neural network, whose reaction to artificial sweeteners signals to the body that it has received insufficient energy. This network, which establishes a balance between the taste of food and its caloric content, is a component of a conservative (formed in the course of evolution) reaction to starvation, manifested by the fact that in conditions of hunger, highly nutritious food seems to be the most delicious.
The authors also found that artificial sweeteners provoke hyperactivity and insomnia, as well as worsen the quality of sleep. These behavioral changes correspond to a state of moderate fasting or fasting. Similar changes in sleep have previously been observed in clinical studies.
In order to study the effect of artificial sweeteners on mammals, Professor Herbert Herzog and his colleagues from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research conducted experiments on mice. The mice consumed sucralose-sweetened food for 7 days, which also significantly increased the amount of food they consumed by activating a neural network similar to that identified in fruit flies.
According to Dr. Neely, billions of people around the world use artificial sweeteners, which are recommended to them as a means to combat obesity, despite the fact that today very little is known about their effect on the brain and the regulation of hunger. The data obtained by the authors confirm the idea that sugar-free foods and beverages are not as safe as is commonly believed. The artificial sugar substitutes contained in them can change the perception of the sweetness of food, disrupting the balance between sweetness and energy content, which, in turn, increases the amount of food consumed.
Article by Qiao-Ping Wang et al. Sucralose Promotes Food Intake through NPY and a Neuronal Fasting Response published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of Sydney: Why artificial sweeteners can increase appetite.
15.07.2016