Your Toughest Diet Dilemmas Solved

What's the Deal with Sugar Substitutes?

It's not a bad idea, says Young. Though sugar substitutes are supposed to help with weight loss (they're used in products like diet soda and yogurt to add flavor without adding calories), several studies suggest they might actually hinder your efforts. Take diet soda, for instance: After studying 622 normal-weight adults, researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio found that 55 percent of those who drank one to two diet sodas a day were overweight after seven to eight years. Among people who drank the same amount of regular soft drinks, that number was 33 percent. The reasons? Experts believe that artificial sweeteners can trigger cravings for sweet foods, and that they can actually interfere with the body's natural ability to count calories. And when you believe you're drinking something that's not-so-bad for you, you're more likely to overindulge in unhealthy "rewards." There are other reasons to curb your intake of fake sugar: It can cause some unpleasant side effects, such as headache, diarrhea, and upset stomach in people who are sensitive or intolerant. Of course, OD-ing on regular sugar has its own set of problems, so your best bet is to go easy all around with the sweet stuff.