Overweight Research Overinterpreted
Study: The original research article in the International Journal of Obesity combines two different preliminary studies. In the first, some young rats drank a liquid flavored with a natural high-calorie sweetener whereas other rats were given liquid flavored with the artificial sweetener saccharin. After 10 days, all the rats could snack on a sweet high-calorie treat as well as standard rat food. Those animals who had been drinking the artificially sweetened liquid ended up consuming about three times as many calories. The second study looked at viscosity (think chocolate pudding versus chocolate milk). Rats who drank the "milk" gained more weight. The authors concluded that "dietary factors that degrade the relationship between sweet tastes, food viscosity and calories may contribute to overeating and weight gain."
Comment: It is interesting to compare the title of the original scientific article ("A Pavlovian approach to the problem of obesity") with the title of the press release from Purdue University where this rat research was done ("Study: Artificial sweetener may disrupt body's ability to count calories.") This press release starts, "Choosing a diet soft drink over a regular, sugar-packed beverage, may not be the best way to fight obesity..." This is quite a jump from rats in cages to humans opting for a diet cola. |
