Snipped from DukeHealth.org.

Now that the new year is coming up soon, many will make the most popular new year resolution — lose weight. Unfortunately, many will use the popular snacks, drinks, shakes and food with one of the many popular sugar alternatives. I have always been an avid opponent of their use, so I am glad that the science is starting to reveal that my beliefs were correct.

Now it seems as though our brain, more specifically our hypothalamus, can tell whether our food or drink contains calories or not. When it does not, it can drive our hunger further. And this consequence is probably not what you wanted, but this is what was revealed when they feed lab rats a food made from a sugar alternative. The sugar-free rats ate more and gained weight compared to the control group of sugar eaters.

Here is a small portion of the article explaining the mechanisms involved in the calorie, no calorie reward system:

Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have discovered that the brain can respond to the calorie content of food, even in the absence of taste.

Their findings about the brain’s dopamine-reward system may help shed light on why many people who drink diet sodas still gain weight. A mismatch between artificially sweet taste and zero calorie content may lead to some kind of rebound eating that may in part be explained by these results: the brain is wired to respond to both calorie content and sweetness.

Read Full Article Here!