Every kind of edible item that you put inside your body has a positive or negative consequence– from vegetables that are healthy to artificial sweeteners that are unhealthy. Yes, scientists have now linked the artificial sweetener sucralose, sold as Splenda, to yet another potential health downside, and this time it’s in the brain.

The study

In the study published in Nature Metabolism, a randomized crossover trial was conducted where a group of 75 adults between the ages of 18-35 underwent three interventions each, receiving blood tests and brain scans before and after.
One day, they drank a beverage with sucralose; another day, they drank a beverage with sucrose; and the third day, they drank water. All the drinks were cherry flavoured, so the participants did not notice the difference, and each of them was exercising their own control over the consumption.
The order of the drinks was random for the participants, with the gap between the sessions ranging from two days to two months.
This resulted in an increased blood flow to the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that helps control the appetite and cravings. However, when the same participants drank a beverage containing sucrose, also known as table sugar, there was a hunger-decreasing effect. The peripheral glucose levels spiked, and this corresponded with reduced blood flow to the hypothalamus.
Two hours after consuming sucrose, participants reported significantly lower hunger levels than when they consumed sucralose.

The result

The findings of the research suggest that non-caloric sweeteners may not actually be useful for losing weight or reducing the cravings for sugar. Additionally, they seem to change how the hypothalamus communicates with the rest of the brain. A similar research was carried out on male and obesity-prone female rats, and the results were similar to this.
Sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sucrose but with zero calories. However, it creates a “mismatch between the expectation of caloric intake and the absence of actual energy,” explained the authors of the study. “If your body is expecting a calorie because of the sweetness, but doesn’t get the calorie it’s expecting, that could change the way the brain is primed to crave those substances over time,” warned Kathleen Alanna Page, a supervisor of the study and endocrinologist from the University of Southern California.
As many as 40% of American adults regularly consume these sugar substitutes, as per a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, unaware of their ironical effects. It is advised to consult a professional before making any such changes to your diet.