US EditionArtificial sweetener found in diet drinks linked to brain changes that increase appetite, study finds
- On March 28, 2025, HealthDay News reported on a study published in Nature Metabolism on March 26, 2025, revealing that the sugar substitute sucralose, found in products like Splenda, may impact hunger and cravings despite having no calories.
- While about 40% of Americans consume sugar substitutes like sucralose to reduce sugar intake, this study suggests that sucralose may confuse the brain because it provides a sweet taste without delivering the expected calories.
- Imaging scans showed that sucralose increased activity in the hypothalamus, a brain region regulating appetite and body weight, and also increased self-reported feelings of hunger compared to a sugary beverage.
- According to Dr. Kathleen Page, director of the University of Southern California Diabetes and Obesity Research Center, "If your body is expecting a calorie because of the sweetness, but doesn't get the calorie it's expecting, that could change the way the brain is primed to crave those substances over time."
- Researchers noted that these effects were strongest in people with obesity and observed that, unlike sugar, sucralose had no effect on hormones like insulin and GLP-1 that regulate blood sugar, suggesting that future research should investigate the long-term effects of these brain and hormone changes on weight, especially in children and teenagers who consume high amounts of sugar and sugar substitutes.
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Is the drink more hungry? Scientists discover another disturbing consequence of consuming sucralose
Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar and can be found in many baked products, soft drinks, gums, gelatins and frozen dairy desserts. A 2023 study showed how this sweetener was able to modify DNA. Scientists at North Carolina State University observed how sucralose-6-acetate, one of the main components of sucralose is genotoxic and broke DNA in cells that were exposed to the chemical during research.
An artificial sweetener in diet drinks is linked to brain changes that increase appetite, a study finds.
By Sandee LaMotte, CNN A growing body of evidence has increasingly linked diet sodas and other no- or low-calorie foods to weight gain, so much so that the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an advisory in May 2023 saying sugar substitutes should not be used for weight loss. “Replacing free sugars with non-sugar sweeteners does not help people manage their weight in the long term,” Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the WHO’s department of nu…
Artificial sweetener found in diet drinks linked to brain changes that increase appetite, study finds
Sucralose, an artificial sweetener that’s often found in low- and no-calorie sweeteners and diet drinks, boosted feelings of hunger instead of curbing appetite, a large new study found.
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Sugar Substitute Appears To Boost Appetite, Hunger
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