SWEET REVENGE

We took more than the normal amount of flack the other day for our statement about the serious health risks that artificial sweeteners pose. And we took even more flack for our statement that contrary to popular belief, the use of artificial sweeteners actually causes weight gain!

By now longtime and careful readers should know that we almost always know more about what write about then our loyal readers who read our blog. It's the side effect of having an exceptionally high IQ along with an intense curiosity about the world. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that a recent article supports our supposedly outrageous assertions.

Thanks to a loyal reader who sent us the link, we provide to you excerpts from an article entitled "The Not So Sweet Truth About Aspartame" which can be found on AOL Health here.

Can using artificial sweeteners cause weight gain, as Rumpole alleges?

Official complaints to the FDA about aspartame use include headaches and gastrointestinal problems. Detractors like Dr. Joseph Mercola, author of "Sweet Deception," say that aspartame consumption can actually contribute to weight gain and even cause neurological side effects such as migraines and brain tumors due to a disturbance of the dopamine and serotonin balance...

Marissa Lippert, a registered dietitian and a New York City nutritionist and author of "The Cheater's Diet," says that although the research is inconclusive regarding the long-term health risks of aspartame, people should think twice about consuming it.

"Research is now indicating that sweeteners may actually cause people to gain weight because of a negative metabolic response," says Lippert.

And finally from The Pros and Cons of Artificial Sweeteners comes this fact about altered metabolism:

Altered Metabolism
New findings indicate that swapping sugar (calories) for fake sugar (no calories) may not be the best diet trick. Eating artificially sweetened foods may actually make you eat more than you would have had you eaten the regular version. Experiments conducted at Purdue University Investigative Behavior Research Center found that a group of rats fed saccharin-sweetened yogurt ate more calories, gained more weight and put on more body fat than a group fed yogurt sweetened with sugar. The study's authors explain that artificial sweeteners may affect the body's ability to regulate calorie intake and metabolism.

So the next time Rumpole tells you that he counseled a friend who was having trouble loosing weight on her diet to give up artificial sweeteners and that having followed our advice she promptly lost 20 pounds.....you'd better believe it.