Why deny a rat a good, satisfying BURP

Here's some news from the scientific community about dieting. Scientists from Purdue University studied the use of artificial sweeteners in diets as an aid to weight loss. They gave two groups of rats slightly different diets. One group ate yogurt sweetened naturally with glucose. The other group ate yogurt sweetened with an artificial sweetener.

The findings were surprising. Those that ate the yogurt that was artificially sweetened actually gained more weight and body fat than those that ate yogurt sweetened by natural glucose.

Go figure. According to them, we trick our taste sensations when we use fake sweeteners in soda pop and other foods. That tricks our brain into wanting more food and more calories. Both we and the rats in the artificial sweetener group, they say, will gain weight as compared to the control group that used regular sweetener.

That makes a good case for drinking water that has no artificial anything. I don't know why but six to eight glasses of water together with the other restrictions of our diets seem to help dieters lose weight best.

What does that mean to us? Probably not much but maybe it explains why many people who are overweight who never add sugar to coffee, only drink diet soft drinks continue to be fat. It makes a good case for drinking plain water.

Naturally this is only one study. I ask, why deny a rat a good satisfying BURP? If they want to give the rats diet drinks, I think it's OK. Maybe the rats will even take the diet Pepsi challenge.

That's the news from camp wanadiet. Have a great weekend, drink lots of water and don't go too far from a convenient restroom.

Erwin Posner, R.Ph.

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