Sugar substitutes? You can't fool the brain!
Scientists at the University of California, working under the guidance of Dr. Guido Frank, performed functional magnetic resonance imaging on 12 women who immediately before the procedure drank water sweetened with sugar (sucrose) or sugar substitute Splenda (sucralose).
Both natural and artificial sweeteners stimulate the taste buds receptors, which send a signal to the brain through the cranial nerve. Despite the fact that sugar and Splenda initiate the same mechanisms of taste recognition and pleasure (people are not able to distinguish their solutions by taste), sugar activates the brain regions associated with the formation of a sense of pleasure more strongly. This is especially evident in relation to the isle of Rail, which, in addition to taste recognition, participates in the formation of a sense of pleasure, acting as an intermediary between the regions of the brain that are part of the structure of the reward response system and are responsible for the feeling of pleasure.
Despite the fact that, in general, Splenda stimulates less brain activity, it significantly activates the interaction between the mentioned regions more strongly. The authors suggested that the use of artificial sweetener activates the reward response system, but does not cause a feeling of satiety, i.e. it has a weak feedback mechanism necessary to satisfy the need for sweets.
If this theory is confirmed, it will be necessary to reconsider the traditional views on the use of sugar substitutes as a means of combating excess weight. The negative effect of artificial sweeteners on human health remains an unproven suspicion, but no doubt studies have shown that the addition of yogurt containing sweetener to the diet of laboratory rats increased the appetite of animals, and they gained more weight than rats who consumed yogurt with sugar.
The authors plan to continue working in their chosen direction and to decipher the mechanisms underlying eating disorders.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on WorldHealth materials
09.06.2008