Artificial sweeteners connected to... weight gain?

Here's another lab rat study to bash the effect of artificial sweeteners. This time it all but makes you think the only option is to just go back to regular old sugar! A small bit of research is indicating that zero-calorie sweeteners could be making it harder for you to lose weight.

How? By tricking your body into thinking sweetness doesn't mean extra calories. Basically, they're saying these artificial substitutes could make it a little harder to gauge caloric intake (which could lead to gaining weight). In addition, they're also pointing to a loose connection between high sales of diet soda and a rise in obesity. Considering the widespread use of sweeteners now in such drinks, they may not be too far off the mark.

But naturally, companies producing these sweetener products call this study irrelevant. For one, it used lab rats -- and a very small number as well. Less than 30 rats were used to test these claims, causing one dietitian to say it does a disservice to the consumer. The weight gain observed in lab rats may not have any relevance to humans, after all, but it won't keep people from debating the effectiveness of artificial sweeteners.