Are artificial sweeteners fueling-rather than fighting-the escalating obesity epidemic?

This study was published in Obesity (Silver Spring) 2008 Aug;16(8):1894-900

Study title and authors:
Fueling the obesity epidemic? Artificially sweetened beverage use and long-term weight gain.

Fowler SP, Williams K, Resendez RG, Hunt KJ, Hazuda HP, Stern MP.
Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Epidemiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA. fowlers@uthscsa.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18535548

This study examined the relationship between artificially sweetened beverage consumption and long-term weight gain. The study included 3,682 adult participants whose Body Mass Index (BMI) was measured at the start of the study and after eight years.

The study found:
(a) Men who had artificially sweetened beverages had a 40% inrease in BMI compared to men who were nonusers.
(b) Women who had artificially sweetened beverages had a 51% inrease in BMI compared to women who were nonusers.
(c) Those who consumed diet soft drinks had a 42% increase in BMI compared to those who did not consume diet soft drinks.
(d) Those who consumed artificially sweetened tea had a 40% increase in BMI compared to those who did not consume artificially sweetened tea.
(e) Those who consumed artificially sweetened coffee had a 32% increase in BMI compared to those who did not consume artificially sweetened coffee.

The findings of the study raise the question whether artificially sweetener use might be fueling-rather than fighting-the escalating obesity epidemic.