Diet soda leads to weight gain
Okay, so the studies are still based on rodents. But pay attention – you may recognize yourself in this behavior.
A rodent’s brain makes the connection between taste and calories to keep track of how much it has eaten. That is, the “enough calories to make it though the maze again” signal depends on flavor.
Sugar subs like saccharin, sucralose, aspartame, neotame, and acesulfame-K remove that link between calories (as energy) and taste. The taste buds know there’s food coming in, but the body doesn’t get the energy it’s expecting. And so (to get through the maze again), the rodent must keep eating. Over time, that leads to fat rats.
So let’s tie this to what we know about people. We don’t know yet whether the human brain works the same way as the rat brain. What has been proven is that the taste of sweetness is mildly addicting for humans – the more you eat, the more you need to feel satisfied. And since sugar subs are 200 to 13,000 times as sweet as sugar, they’re likely to increase your cravings.
Get out of the rat maze of diet soda. Refresh yourself and quench your thirst with a glass of water.
