A sensible weight control program includes regular physical activity and reduced consumption of foods high in calories. A steady loss of one-half to one pound a week is recommended, rather than crash diets or other extreme approaches that severely limit amounts or types of foods. Although scientific testing of intense sweeteners is extremely complex, significant progress has been made in recent years in studying their impact on appetite and body weight. This review highlights major studies in the field and summarizes their implications for weight management. Because of its widespread use and its ability to replace sucrose and maintain study blind conditions, most investigations have involved the low-calorie sweetener aspartame .
Questions arise, however, when one considers whether sweetener users change their eating patterns.
The protocols varied only slightly in duration and volunteers' gender and weight status. During a baseline period, subjects were allowed to eat as much sugar-sweetened food as they liked. Researchers then covertly substituted aspartame for sugar in a variety of foods and beverages eaten ad libitum by the patients. In all three studies, volunteers consumed approximately 15 percent fewer calories over time than on their baseline diets. For three weeks, subjects were required to consume 1.2 liters daily of regular or aspartame-sweetened soda or to abstain from drinking soda completely.