*************************************************************

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1177
diet soda (aspartame) goes with more obesity, Sharon P Fowler, University of
Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Charlotte E. Grayson, MD,
WebMD.com, foxnews.com 2005.06.15: related articles: Murray 2005.06.27

[ Note by Rich Murray: Aspartame is commonly added to coffee, tea, and
colas.
Methanol (wood alcohol), which the body always quickly turns into
formaldehyde and formic acid, is an 11% component of aspartame.
About the same amount of methanol, as an inpurity in dark wines and liquors,
is thus the main cause of the dreaded "morning after" hangover, with its
crippling headaches.
Formaldehyde is also supplied by tobacco and wood smoke, gas stoves, vehicle
exhaust, new furniture, drapes, carpet, particleboard, buildings and mobile
homes.
A large dose of methanol results from degradation of pectins from fruits and
vegetables by bacteria in the colon. ]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,159579,00.html
http://my.webmd.com/content/Article/107/108476.htm

Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight     Wednesday, June 15, 2005
By Daniel J. DeNoon    WebMD Medical News    http://my.WebMD.com

People who drink diet soft drinks don't lose weight. In fact, they gain
weight, a new study shows.

The findings come from eight years of data collected by Sharon P. Fowler,
MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San
Antonio. Fowler reported the data at this week's annual meeting of the
American Diabetes Association in San Diego.

"What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to
overweight and obesity," Fowler tells WebMD.

"What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft
drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher."

In fact, when the researchers took a closer look at their data, they found
that nearly all the obesity risk from soft drinks came from diet sodas.

"There was a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can
or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day," Fowler says.

More Diet Drinks, More Weight Gain

Fowler's team looked at seven to eight years of data on 1,550
Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white Americans aged 25 to 64.
Of the 622 study participants who were of normal weight at the beginning of
the study, about a third became overweight or obese.

For regular soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese
was:
26    percent for up to 1/2 can each day
30.4 percent for 1/2 to one can each day
32.8 percent for 1 to 2 cans each day
47.2 percent for more than 2 cans each day.

For diet soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:
36.5 percent for up to 1/2 can each day
37.5 percent for 1/2 to one can each day
54.5 percent for 1 to 2 cans each day
57.1 percent for more than 2 cans each day.

For each can of diet soft drink consumed each day, a person's risk of
obesity went up 41 percent.

Diet Soda No Smoking Gun

Fowler is quick to note that a study of this kind does not prove that diet
soda causes obesity. More likely, she says, it shows that something linked
to diet soda drinking is also linked to obesity.

"One possible part of the explanation is that people who see they are
beginning to gain weight may be more likely to switch from regular to diet
soda," Fowler suggests. "But despite their switching, their weight may
continue to grow for other reasons. So diet soft-drink use is a marker for
overweight and obesity."

Why? Nutrition expert Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, puts it in a nutshell.
"You have to look at what's on your plate, not just what's in your glass,"
Bonci tells WebMD.

People often mistake diet drinks for diets, says Bonci, director of sports
nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and nutrition
consultant to college and professional sports teams and to the Pittsburgh
Ballet.

"A lot of people say, 'I am drinking a diet soft drink because that is
better for me. But soft drinks by themselves are not the root of America's
obesity problem," she says. "You can't go into a fast-food restaurant and
say, 'Oh, it's OK because I had diet soda.' If you don't do anything else
but switch to a diet soft drink, you are not going to lose weight."

The Mad Hatter Theory

"Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
"I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take
more."
"You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "It's very easy to take
more than nothing." -- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

There is actually a way that diet drinks could contribute to weight gain,
Fowler suggests.

She remembers being struck by the scene in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
in which Alice is offended because she is offered tea but is given none --
even though she hadn't asked for tea in the first place. So she helps
herself to tea and bread and butter.

That may be just what happens when we offer our bodies the sweet taste of
diet drinks, but give them no calories. Fowler points to a recent study in
which feeding artificial sweeteners to rat pups made them crave more
calories than animals fed real sugar.

"If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot of calories, but it
isn't there, your body is alerted to the possibility that there is something
there and it will search for the calories promised but not delivered,"
Fowler says.

Perhaps, Bonci says, our bodies are smarter than we think.

"People think they can just fool the body. But maybe the body isn't fooled,"
she says.

"If you are not giving your body those calories you promised it,
maybe your body will retaliate by wanting more calories.
Some soft drink studies do suggest that diet drinks stimulate appetite."

By Daniel J. DeNoon, reviewed by Charlotte E. Grayson, MD

SOURCES: Fowler, S.P. 65th Annual Scientific Sessions, American Diabetes
Association, San Diego, June 10-14, 2005;
Abstract 1058-P. Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, University of Texas Health Science
Center School of Medicine, San Antonio.

Fowler, Sharon P  MPH  Faculty Associate  210-567-4738
Medicine -Epidemiology   HSC-DTL 5.608   fowlers@uthscsa.edu
http://www.uthscsa.edu/

http://www.rsinewsrxreportingfrom.com/content.asp?myid=37&tid=336

News Coverage from American Diabetes Association

Meeting Dates: June 11th through June 14th, 2005   Location:  San Diego, CA
Last Updated:  Thursday June 16th, 2005

Diet Soda Associated with Increased Weight

Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health
Science Center, San Antonio, reported to the 65th Annual Scientific Sessions
of the American Diabetes Association that there is an association between
the use of diet soda and excess weight.

In her study, "Diet Soft Drink Consumption Is Associated with Increased
Incidence of Overweight and Obesity in the San Antonio Heart Study,"
she measured soft drink consumption in cans per day for Mexican Americans
and European Americans, aged 25-64 years (N=1,550).
She measured body mass index (BMI) at both baseline and at seven-to
eight-year followup.
Of the normal-weight (BMI < 25) individuals at baseline who were available
at followup (n=622), 32.7% had become overweight (OW, BMI >/=25).

Overweight increased with soft drink dose for both diet-only and
regular-only consumers;
the lowest incidence rates were in regular-only soft drink consumers, and
the highest, overall, in those who drank about half diet and half regular
soda.
The odds ratio (OR) for OW for each diet soft drink consumed per day was
1.60 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13 to 2.26, P=0.008);
the OR for each soft drink consumed of any kind (total: diet plus
regular) was 1.42 (CI, 1.15 to 1.74, P= 0.001).

The OR per can of diet soda consumed per day for obesity (OB, BMI >/=30) was
1.41 (CI, 1.12 to 1.77, P= 0.003), an increased risk of 41%.
The OR per can of any soda (total) consumed per day for OB was 1.18 (CI:
0.99 to 1.40, P=0.068).

According to Fowler et al, the increasing incidence of OW with increasing
doses of diet soft drinks "raises questions about the advisability of
reliance on these products for weight control."

Leslie J Bonci, MPH, RD, director, sports nutrition, University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center.
WebMD News: "Artificial Sweeteners May Damage Diet Efforts."

http://newsbureau.upmc.com/Bios/BioBonci.htm
Leslie J Bonci 412-432-3674  boncilj@upmc.edu

Leslie J. Bonci, R.D., M.P.H., L.D.N., is the director of sports medicine
nutrition for the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and the Center for Sports
Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). She is an
adjunct assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and an adjunct assistant
instructor in pediatric dentistry at the university's School of Dental
Medicine. She also serves on the faculty of Pitt's sports medicine
fellowship training program.

Bonci is a registered dietitian and Pennsylvania-licensed
dietitian/nutrition with a Bachelor of Science degree in biopsychology from
Vassar College and a master's degree in public health from Pitt.

A popular former national media spokesperson for the American Dietetic
Association for eight years, she has been a frequent guest on the NBC-TV
"Today" program, and has done satellite media tours on behalf of Heinz,
Gatorade, and the California Dried Plum Board.

Daniel J. DeNoon  Senior Writer:

Daniel J. DeNoon is senior medical writer for WebMD, researching and
reporting daily news stories and health features. Before joining WebMD in
1999, he was senior editor for CW Henderson publications and a freelance
medical writer, editor, and communications consultant.

Mr. DeNoon began his career as a daily newspaper reporter. He became a
full-time medical journalist in 1985. A charter member of the International
AIDS Society, he was founding editor of the newsletters AIDSWeekly and
VaccineWeekly and is the author of AIDS Therapies, a 1,500-page encyclopedia
of AIDS treatments and vaccines.

He is the recipient of several professional awards, including a commendation
from the Centers for Disease Control for his work during the 2001-2
bioterror attacks. Mr. DeNoon earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology
and religion from Emory University.

Charlotte E. Grayson, MD  Senior Medical Editor:

Charlotte E. Grayson, MD, oversees the development of consumer health
content for WebMD. In this capacity, she manages the creation of reference
content, special projects, and consumer health guides that appear on WebMD,
AOL, MSN and Lycos. She works closely with The Cleveland Clinic in editing
in-depth guides, and selects any reference content that WebMD licences for
this site.

As the "gatekeeper" ensuring the quality and accuracy of WebMD's consumer
health content, Dr. Grayson frequently speaks to the media about WebMD's
content standards and goals.

Dr. Grayson is an internist who completed her internal medicine residency at
the Medical University of South Carolina, attended the Boston University
School of Medicine, and received her undergraduate degree from Spelman
College in Atlanta, where she was a National Achievement Scholarship winner
and graduated cum laude. She graduated with a bachelor of science degree in
chemistry and distinguished herself by an acceptance into Boston University
School of Medicine in their Early Medical School Selection Program during
her sophomore year.

http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/content/article/46/1826_50691.htm

What Foods Triggers Headaches?
Some of the most common foods, beverages, and additives associated with
headaches include...

Alcohol: Blood flow to your brain increases when you drink alcohol.
Some scientists blame the headache on impurities in alcohol or by-products
produced as your body metabolizes alcohol.
Red wine, beer, whiskey, and champagne are the most commonly identified
headache triggers....

Certain fresh fruits including ripe bananas, citrus fruits, papaya, red
plums, raspberries, kiwi, pineapple
Dried fruits (figs, raisins, dates).....

Caffeine found in chocolate and cocoa; beverages such as coffee, tea and
colas; also found in certain medications.....

Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners....

Medically reviewed by Charlotte E. Grayson, MD, June 2004, WebMD.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,77538,00.html contact
To Call FOX News Channel:  1-888-369-4762
comments@foxnews.com; foxnewsonline@foxnews.com;
*************************************************************

http://www.azcentral.com/health/diet/articles/0613diet-drinks13-ON.html

Diet sodas linked to obesity
Don Finley  San Antonio Express-News    Jun. 13, 2005 02:55 PM

Just when you thought the news about losing weight couldn't get any worse,
try this: A review of 26 years of patient data found that people who drink
diet soft drinks were more likely to become overweight.

Not only that, but the more diet sodas they drank, the higher their risk of
later becoming overweight or obese - 65 percent more likely for each diet
drink per day.

The findings, the latest from the long-term San Antonio Heart Study, took
even the researchers by surprise.

"I was baffled," said Sharon Fowler, a faculty associate at the University
of Texas Health Science Center, who presented the data Saturday at the
American Diabetes Association's 65th Annual Scientific Sessions in San
Diego, Calif.

Researchers looked at questionnaires and medical records for 1,177 patients
who began enrolling in the study in 1979. All had weights considered either
normal or overweight, but not obese.

The volunteers were asked how many soft drinks per day they usually drank
and whether they were regular or diet -- or a combination of each. The
researchers followed up with them over the years.

Drinking any soda -- regular or diet -- was linked to a higher risk of
becoming overweight. But when the researchers adjusted the data to account
for differences in age, sex and ethnicity, they found that regular soft
drinks had very little connection with serious weight gain.

Diet drinks, however, did.

The researchers are quick to point out that their findings are not proof
that drinking diet soft drinks causes people to become heavy. It could be
that as they began gaining weight, they switched from regular to diet
drinks.

"People who were normal weight, one out of four of them at the time of our
study were drinking diet drinks," Fowler said. "People who were overweight
but not obese, one out of three of them were drinking the diet drinks.
Definitely they were voting with their feet. They were obviously trying to
avoid gaining further weight or repeating a family history."

However, the idea that diet sodas can lead to weight gain isn't new. Last
year, a group from Purdue University found that when rats were fed the
equivalent of diet soda, they ate more high-calorie food afterwards than did
rats fed the same amount of a drink sweetened with high-calorie sweetener.

The group hypothesized that the body regulates its energy needs through
appetite and that it learns to associate sweetness with a lot of calories.
But when fed artificially sweetened foods and drinks on a regular basis, the
body figures it can no longer use taste to estimate calorie consumption. It
assumes that it can eat all the sweets it wants, without consequences.

But noted obesity researcher Barry M. Popkin cautioned that the San Antonio
researchers don't have enough information to draw conclusions about diet
soft drink consumption and obesity risk.

"One needs to study in a complex, sequential way how earlier diet drink
intake affects subsequent weight changes, but these scholars have not done
that," said Popkin, head of nutrition epidemiology at the University of
North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

UTHSC's Fowler acknowledged that the findings raise more questions than they
answer. However, she pointed out that when people drink any kind of soda, it
is instead of healthier beverages.

"I don't think it's a strong enough association to make a public health
recommendation, but personally, I think people would be much healthier
drinking water."
*************************************************************

http://www.cpc.unc.edu/bios/index.php?person=popkin

Barry M. Popkin   Ph.D., Professor, Nutrition   popkin@unc.edu
Carolina Population Center
CPC Office: 406-F Univ Sq East  CPC Phone Number: (919) 966-1732

Obes Res. 2003 Nov; 11(11): 1325-32.Related Articles, Links

The sweetening of the world's diet. [ free full text at
www.obesityresearch.org ]
Popkin BM, Nielsen SJ.
Carolina Population Center, and Department of Nutrition, University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB #8120 University Square, 123 W. Franklin Street,
Chapel Hill, NC 27516-3997, USA. Popkin@unc.edu

OBJECTIVE: Using data from many countries in the world combined with
in-depth U.S. dietary data, we explored trends in caloric sweetener intake,
the role of urbanization and income changes in explaining these trends, and
the contribution of specific foods to these changes.
RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Food disappearance data from 103 countries
in 1962 and 127 in 2000 were coupled with urbanization and gross national
income per capita data in pooled regression analysis to examine associations
between these factors and caloric sweetener intake.
Three nationally representative surveys from 1977 to 1978, 1989 to 1991, and
1994 to 1996 plus 1998 are used to examine caloric sweetener intake trends
in the United States and the foods responsible for these changes.
RESULTS: Increased consumption of caloric sweetener is one element in the
world's dietary changes, represented by a 74-kcal/d increase between 1962
and 2000.
Urbanization and income growth represent 82% of the change.
U.S. data show an 83-kcal/d increase of caloric sweetener consumed-a 22%
increase in the proportion of energy from caloric sweetener.
Of this increase, 80% comes from sugared beverages; restaurant and fast food
sources are represented in greater proportions.
DISCUSSION: Caloric sweetener use has increased considerably around the
world. Beverage intake seems to be a major contributor.  PMID: 14627752
*************************************************************

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3221547

June 11, 2005, 11:01PM

Diet drinks won't provide shield from extra pounds:
A study shows sodas in general increase the odds of gaining weight in middle
age
By Eric Berger   eric.berger@chron.com  Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Study had 622 normal-weight participants, age 25-64 years. The percentages
reflect the number of participants who became overweight or obese after 7 to
8 years of follow-up.

32.7 percent of all participants
47.2 percent of participants who had 2 or more regular soft drinks a day
57.1 percent of participants who had 2 or more diet soft drinks a day

Source: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

A Diet Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, Sprite or any other zero-calorie drink won't
make you fat, but a new study by San Antonio researchers suggests that
drinking diet soda in middle age dramatically increases the chance of
gaining weight later.

The study of more than 600 normal-weight people found, eight years later,
that they were 65 percent more likely to be overweight if they drank one
diet soda a day than if they drank none.

And if they drank two or more diet sodas a day, they were even more likely
to become overweight or obese.

And more surprising still, those who drank diet soda had a greater chance at
becoming overweight than did those who drank regular, full-calorie soda.

"I want to be very clear," said the study's lead author, Sharon Fowler, an
associate faculty member at The University of Texas Health Science Center at
San Antonio, "Our findings do not prove that diet soft drinks cause people
to gain weight.

"Right now we don't have any clear public message here. This just raises an
interesting question."

Looking for explanation

Fowler presented the study's results Sunday in San Antonio at the annual
scientific meeting of the American Diabetes Association.

By itself diet soda cannot cause weight gain, scientists say.  The "zero
calories" tag on the label really does mean 0 calories, so diet drinks do
not increase the amount of energy the body must burn a day to gain or lose
weight.

The effect shown by the study in the San Antonio Heart Study -- age 25 to 64
when they first enrolled -- must be explained by other means.

One possibility: A person who drinks a diet soda may feel it's OK to make up
for those calories with another high-calorie food like a monster burger,
then it's my fault if I gain weight, not the diet soda's," said John Foreyt,
a Baylor College of Medicine obesity researcher.

That's probably one factor, Fowler said. Another may be that, while the
tongue is temporarily satisfied by the sweet taste of a diet soda, the brain
isn't similarly fooled. It still wants calories for energy.

Other studies have suggested that people who drink an artificially sweetened
beverage before a meal will eat more high-calorie foods than those who do
not.

A blurred debate

An analyst for a food industry group, the Center for Consumer Freedom, said
the hype surrounding obesity has blurred the debate over fat.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that people who are worried
about their weight, people who are gaining weight, might choose to drink
diet soda," Dan Mindus said. "They call it diet soda for a reason. Choosing
a zero-calorie drink when you're worried about your weight is just common
sense."

Fowler said she was particularly struck by the finding that the risk for
becoming overweight and obese steadily increased with the amount of diet
soda consumed. She said that suggests to her the effect is real, and not an
error in reading data.

The new research clouds an already muddy picture of weight gain and
beverages.

Last year, a study linked sugar-sweetened beverages to weight gain and type
2 diabetes. And some dietitians have also questioned the role of fruit
juice, which is often high in natural sugars and calories.

This leaves one drink that everyone agrees is healthy and won't increase the
risk of gaining weight. It's also the cheapest beverage, if you don't mind
drinking it from the faucet.
*************************************************************

http://www.bcm.edu/medicine/athero/foreyt.htm

John P. Foreyt, Ph.D.  Professor of Medicine
Director, Behavioral Medicine Research Center
Clinical Research  Baylor College of Medicine, Houston TX
Telephone: (713) 798-5757  Fax: (713) 798-4888   jforeyt@bcm.tmc.edu

http://www.consumerfreedom.com/  Center for Consumer Freedom
PO Box 27414, Washington, DC 20038, Tel: 202-463-7112
*************************************************************

http://my.webmd.com/content/article/89/100381.htm

Artificial Sweeteners May Damage Diet Efforts:
Sugar Substitutes May Distort the Body's Natural Calorie Counter
By Jennifer Warner   WebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD   on Wednesday, June 30, 2004

June 30, 2004 -- Sugar substitutes may offer sweet treats for
calorie-conscious dieters, but a new study shows that they may also play
tricks on the body and sabotage weight-loss efforts.

Researchers say artificial sweeteners may interfere with the body's natural
ability to count calories based on a food's sweetness and make people prone
to overindulging in other sweet foods and beverages.

For example, drinking a diet soft drink rather than a sugary one at lunch
may reduce the calorie count of the meal, but it may trick the body into
thinking that other sweet items don't have as many calories either.

Researchers say the findings show that losing the ability to judge a food's
calorie content based on its sweetness may be contributing to the dramatic
rise in overweight and obesity rates in the U.S.

But don't ditch your diet drink yet.

"The message is not to give up your diet soda and go drink a regular soda,"
says researcher Susan Swithers, PhD, associate professor of psychological
sciences at Purdue University. "But when you do drink beverages you probably
need to pay a little more attention to whether they have calories or not and
what the consequences of that fact will be on the rest of your diet."

Sweetness Provides Calorie-Counting Clues

Swithers says that in the past, a food's sweetness provided valuable clues
about its caloric content, and something sweet was usually a good source of
energy.

"Before things like artificial sweeteners, these relationships would be very
reliable," says Swithers.
"Animals needed to find good sources of calories and needed to know whether
eating something provided them with lots of calories."
"It's only been relatively recently that foods have been introduced that
violate those kind of relationships, such as something very sweet that has
no calories," Swithers tells WebMD.

According to researchers, the number of Americans who consume sugar-free,
artificially sweetened products has grown from less than 70 million in 1987
to more than 160 million in 2000.

At the same time that more people are drinking and eating foods sweetened
with low-calorie sweeteners, such as aspartame and saccharin, they're not
getting any thinner. In contrast, more people are becoming overweight or
obese.

That prompted researchers to test whether not being able to use sensory
clues to predict the calorie content of foods might contribute to overeating
and weight gain.

Artificial Sweeteners May Trick the Brain

In the study, published in the July issue of the International Journal of
Obesity, two groups of rats were fed either a mix of high-calorie,
sugar-sweetened, and low-calorie, artificially sweetened liquids; or
sugar-sweetened liquids alone. This was fed to the rats in addition their
regular diet. After 10 days, they were offered a high-calorie,
chocolate-flavored snack.

The study showed that rats fed the mixed liquids ate more of their regular
chow after the sweet snack than those who had been fed sugar-sweetened
liquids alone.

Researchers say the results show that the experience of drinking
artificially sweetened, low-calorie liquids had damaged the rats' natural
ability to compensate for the calories in the snack.

Manipulating Food Can Derail Diets

Health psychologist Daniel C. Stettner, PhD, says damaging the body's
natural ability to count calories based on food's sweetness is just one way
in which food can be manipulated to change eating habits and contribute to
obesity.

"We do more to manipulate food than just add artificial sweeteners. The food
industry plays with the sugar, the fat, and the salt," Stettner tells WebMD.
"It's like a shell game."

Stettner says that when manufacturers lower the sugar content in foods, they
typically increase the fat or the salt content to compensate for any change
in how it tastes or feels in the mouth. For example, sugar-free ice creams
can be made higher in fat content.

"Sugar-free foods can still be calorie-dense, and that can mess up weight,"
says Stettner, who specializes in weight issues at Northpointe Health Center
in Berkley, Mich.

Stettner says the body's natural calorie counter and sense of balance is
also affected by genetics, environment, marketing, and physical activity
level, which were not taken into account by this study.

"So many factors contribute to obesity," says Stettner. Although artificial
sweeteners may alter the eating behavior of rats, he says the same principle
may not necessarily apply to humans.

Swithers says that many types of learning processes translate from rats to
humans, but she acknowledges that the loss of the ability to judge the
calorie content of sweet foods is probably just one of the contributors to
the rise in overweight and obesity.

However, she says humans also have a distinct advantage over rats when it
comes to controlling how many calories they put into their body.

"Rats can't read the labels, but we can," says Swithers. "We have to take
that extra step of reading the labels or asking how many calories are in
there. That may be enough so that we can compensate for those sweet
calories."

SOURCES: Davidson, T. International Journal of Obesity, July 2004; vol 28:
pp 933-935.
News release, Purdue University. Susan Swithers, PhD, associate professor of
psychological sciences, Ingestive Research Center, Purdue University.
Daniel C Stettner, PhD, health psychologist, Northpointe Health Center,
Berkley, Mich. FDA.  http://www.nphealthcenter.com/

Northpointe Health Center  1949 Twelve Mile Road  Berkley, MI 48072
Toll Free: 1-800-639-4325   Local: 1-248-582-0100
Fax: 1-248-582-8588    info@northpointehealthcenter.com

Obes Rev. 2003 May; 4(2): 91-9.
Effects of sugar intake on body weight: a review. [ aspartame as control ]
Vermunt SH, Pasman WJ, Schaafsma G, Kardinaal AF.
TNO Nutrition and Food Research, Department of Nutritional Physiology,
Zeist, the Netherlands. Vermunt@voeding.tno.nl

Weight reduction programmes are mainly focused on reducing intake of fat and
sugar.
In this review we have evaluated whether the replacement of dietary (added)
sugar by low-energy sweeteners or complex carbohydrates contributes to
weight reduction.
In two experimental studies, no short-term differences in weight loss were
observed after use of aspartame as compared to sugar in obese subjects
following a controlled energy-restricted diet.
However, consumption of aspartame was associated with improved weight
maintenance after a year.
In two short-term studies in which energy intake was not restricted,
substitution of sucrose by artificial sweeteners, investigated mostly in
beverages, resulted in lower energy intake and lower body weight.
Similarly, two short-term studies, comparing the effect of sucrose and
starch on weight loss in obese subjects did not find differences when the
total energy intake was equal and reduced.
An ad libitum diet with complex carbohydrates resulted in lower energy
intake compared to high-sugar diets.
In two out of three studies, this was reflected in lower body weight in
subjects consuming the complex carbohydrate diet.
In conclusion, a limited number of relatively short-term studies suggest
that replacing (added) sugar by low-energy sweeteners or by complex
carbohydrates in an ad libitum diet might result in lower energy intake and
reduced body weight. In the long term, this might be beneficial for weight
maintenance.
However, the number of studies is small and overall conclusions, in
particular for the long term, cannot be drawn.  Publication Types: Review
Review, Tutorial PMID: 12760444
*************************************************************

Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2004 Jul; 28(7): 933-5.
A Pavlovian approach to the problem of obesity.   swithers@psych.purdue.edu
Davidson TL, Swithers SE.  davidson@psych.purdue.edu
Department of Psychological Sciences, Ingestive Behavior Research Center,
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA.

During the past 15-20 y, the incidence of overweight and obesity in the
United States has grown rapidly.
The processes that underlie this alarming trend remain largely unspecified.
We hypothesize that degradation of the ability to use certain orosensory
cues to predict the caloric consequences of intake may contribute to
overeating and excessive weight gain.
The results of two preliminary studies with rats are consistent with this
hypothesis. In one study, the ability of rat pups to regulate their caloric
intake after consuming a novel high-calorie, sweet food was disrupted if
they had received prior training with sweet tastes that failed to predict
the caloric consequences of eating. Another study found that altering the
normal predictive relationship between food viscosity and calories led to
increased body weight in adult rats.
Dietary factors that degrade the relationship between sweet tastes, food
viscosity and calories may contribute to overeating and weight gain.
PMID: 15111986

Obes Res. 2005 Mar; 13(3): 537-44.
Food viscosity influences caloric intake compensation and body weight in
rats. Davidson TL, Swithers SE.   swithers@psych.purdue.edu
Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette,
Indiana 47907, USA. davidson@psych.purdue.edu

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of food viscosity on the ability of rats
to compensate for calories in a dietary supplement.
RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: In a series of four experiments, rats
consumed dietary supplements equated for caloric and nutritive content but
differing in viscosity.
Experiments 1 to 3 examined the ability of the rats to compensate for the
calories consumed in low- compared with high-viscosity premeals by reducing
intake of a subsequent test meal.
Caloric compensation was assessed with a wide range of premeal viscosity
levels and with two different non-nutritive thickening agents.
Experiment 4 assessed the effects of consuming daily a low-viscosity
compared with an equicaloric high-viscosity dietary supplement on longer
term body weight gain.
RESULTS: Consuming a lower viscosity premeal was followed by significantly
more caloric intake (i.e., less caloric compensation) compared with
consuming premeals with higher viscosity levels.
This effect was not specific to one thickening agent.
Furthermore, rats given a low-viscosity supplement daily gained
significantly more weight over a 10-week period compared with rats given a
high-viscosity supplement.
DISCUSSION: The results of these experiments suggest that food viscosity may
be an important determinant of short-term caloric intake and longer term
body weight gain.  PMID: 15833939
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Rich Murray, MA  Room For All  rmforall@comcast.net  505-501-2298
1943 Otowi Road    Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505   USA
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/messages
group with 185 members, 1,177 posts in a public, searchable archive

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1165
short review: research on aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid)
toxicity: Murray 2005.06.23 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1071
research on aspartame (methanol, formaldehyde, formic acid) toxicity: Murray
2004.04.29 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1143
methanol (formaldehyde, formic acid) disposition: Bouchard M et al, full
plain text, 2001: substantial sources are degradation of fruit pectins,
liquors, aspartame, smoke: Murray 2005.04.02 rmforall

Fully 11% of aspartame is methanol--  1,120 mg aspartame  in 2 L diet soda,
almost six 12-oz cans,  gives 123 mg methanol (wood alcohol).   If 30% of
the methanol is turned into formaldehyde, the amount of formaldehyde is 18
times the USA EPA limit for daily formaldehyde in drinking water, 2 mg in 2
L water.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1164
artificial sweetener sales soar, stevia and tagatose available: Murray
2005.03.31 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1152
reply to Ferne Hudson, Tate & Lyle PLC, re Splenda (sucralose) policy:
Murray 2005.02.08 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1122
UN FAO & WHO approve Steviol glycosides as sweetener June 2004,
imports to UK no longer blocked: Martini: Murray 2004.10.17 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1084
26 stevia safety abstracts since 1993: aspartame vs stevia debate on
alt.support.diabetes, George Schmidt, OD: Murray 2004.05.25 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1131
genotoxicity of aspartame in human lymphocytes 2004.07.29 full plain text,
Rencuzogullari E et al, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey 2004 Aug: Murray
2004.11.06 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1088
Murray, full plain text & critique: chronic aspartame in rats affects
memory, brain cholinergic receptors, and brain chemistry, Christian B,
McConnaughey M et al, 2004 May: 2004.06.05 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1067
eyelid contact dermatitis by formaldehyde from aspartame, AM Hill & DV
Belsito, Nov 2003: Murray 2004.03.30 rmforall

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/aspartameNM/message/1155
continuing aspartame debate in British Medical Journal, John Biffra, Bob
Dowling, Nick Finer, Ian J Gordon: Murray 2005.02.09 rmforall
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