Artificial Sweetener Shown To Trick Your Brain Into Being More Hungry
In a new study published in Nature Metabolism, scientists have found a link between artificial sweetener sucralose (sold as Splenda) and the way our brains make us feel hungry. In a crossover trial, a group of 75 adults showed heightened blood flow to the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that helps control appetite and cravings, after drinking a beverage that contains sucralose, according to Science Alert.
The study also showed that when the participants drank a beverage with regular sugar (sucrose) they didn’t feel the same level of hunger. Scientists determined that as the participants’ glucose levels increased, there was a reduced flow of blood to the hypothalamus.
The findings were supported by initial studies done on rodents. The study suggests that non-caloric sweeteners could not be as beneficial to individuals trying to lose weight or who are trying to reduce their sugar intake.
Non-caloric sweeteners have been shown to change how the hypothalamus communicates with other parts of our brains.
Sucralose is known to be 600 times sweeter than sucrose without the calories. “[This creates] a mismatch between the expectation of caloric intake and the absence of actual energy,” the authors wrote.
“If your body is expecting a calorie because of the sweetness, but doesn’t get the calorie it’s expecting, that could change the way the brain is primed to crave those substances over time,” said a supervisor of the study, endocrinologist Kathleen Alanna Page from the University of Southern California.
The trial included 75 participants between the ages of 18 and 35 and each endured three interventions and received blood tests and brain scans both before and after ingestion.
On one day of the study they drank a beverage with sucralose, and another day they drank a beverage with sucrose. On the third day they drank a glass of water.
The order of these drinks was randomized for each person, and the gaps between each session varied from two days to two months.
“The body uses these hormones (like insulin and glucagon-like peptide 1) to tell the brain you’ve consumed calories, in order to decrease hunger,” said Page.
“Sucralose did not have that effect – and the differences in hormone responses to sucralose compared to sugar were even more pronounced in participants with obesity.”
Page and the other scientists who worked on the study said their next move is to conduct a follow-up study that will look at the impact of sucralose in children and adolescents.
“Are these substances leading to changes in the developing brains of children who are at risk for obesity? The brain is vulnerable during this time, so it could be a critical opportunity to intervene.”
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
