For years low calorie and zero calorie sweeteners have been under much scrutiny. Although these faux sweeteners are associated with numerous health problems, some are willing to take that risk in exchange for a lower calorie count. However, a new study reveals that real sugar may be better for your waist line than the fake stuff.

In a series of experiments, scientists at Purdue University compared weight gain and eating habits in rats whose diets were supplemented with sweetened food containing either zero-calorie saccharin or sugar. The report, published in Behavioral Neuroscience, presents some counterintuitive findings: Animals fed with artificially sweetened yogurt over a two-week period consumed more calories and gained more weight — mostly in the form of fat — than animals eating yogurt flavored with glucose, a natural, high-calorie sweetener. It's a continuation of work the Purdue group began in 2004, when they reported that animals consuming saccharin-sweetened liquids and snacks tended to eat more than animals fed high-calorie, sweetened foods. The new study, say the scientists, offers stronger evidence that how we eat may depend on automatic, conditioned responses to food that are beyond our control.

Are these findings enough to change your opinion of artificial sweeteners, or will you need more hard evidence? I read another interesting study, that found When rats were allowed to choose mutually-exclusively between water sweetened with saccharin (an intense calorie-free sweetener)and intravenous cocaine (a highly addictive and harmful substance) the large majority of animals (94%) preferred the sweet taste of saccharin. That sounds pretty sketchy to me.

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