Could Splenda contribute to weight gain?

by Shayna Glick, Posted Sep 25th 2008 @ 8:00PM

A green-tinted plastic bag filled with Splenda packets.

There's a new study out that has some bad news for Splenda users. According to the research, the sugar substitute may "suppress beneficial bacteria in the gut, and cause weight gain." It may also block absorbtion of nutrients.

The study was performed on rats and conducted at Duke University in North Carolina. However, it was co-sponsored by the Sugar Association, and the makers of Splenda were quick to respond. This could be a new, real health concern, or it could be a new battle in the sugar/Splenda war, or both.

While I'm not personally a fan of Splenda (just don't like artificial sweeteners), but I know that lots of people depend on it for sweets. I think this may be a wait and see situation, but may also be something to keep in mind next time you open a packet.

Filed Under: Science
Tags: artificial sweetener, good bacteria, GoodBacteria, nutrients, research, splenda, weight gain, WeightGain

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

9-26-2008 @9:43AM christopher said... That's interesting. I've also read that artificial sweeteners ultimately trick your brain into thinking sweet things aren't sweet. Because of this when you do have sugar it doesn't register as calories and you tend to eat more because of it. Its been a while so I probably jumbled the mechanism a bit but that's the idea.
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