A new study has found that sucralose, a widely used artificial sweetener, may actually make people feel hungrier than if they had consumed regular sugar, reported Independent.
Researchers at the University of Southern California discovered that sucralose increased activity in the hypothalamus—the part of the brain that controls appetite and body weight. The findings help explain earlier research that linked artificial sweeteners to weight gain, though the exact reasons had remained unclear until now.
The study, published in Nature Metabolism, involved 75 participants evenly divided by gender and weight. Each participant was tested on three separate occasions, consuming either plain water, a sucralose-sweetened drink, or a sugar-sweetened drink. Researchers monitored changes using brain scans, blood tests, and self-reported hunger levels.
Results showed that sucralose triggered more hunger and greater activity in the brain’s appetite-control center—especially in people with obesity. Unlike sugar, sucralose didn’t cause an increase in hormones like insulin or GLP-1, which signal fullness to the brain.
Women in the study showed stronger brain responses to sucralose than men, hinting that the sweetener may affect sexes differently.
“The body uses these hormones to tell the brain you’ve had enough to eat. Sucralose didn’t do that,” said Kathleen Alanna Page, one of the study’s authors. “If your body expects calories because of the sweetness but doesn’t get them, it could change the way your brain responds to food over time.”
The research also found that sucralose strengthened connections between the hypothalamus and parts of the brain involved in motivation, decision-making, and sensory processing—areas that influence cravings and eating behavior.
While the study shows that sucralose can affect hunger and brain activity, researchers say more work is needed to understand whether these effects have lasting impacts on body weight or eating habits. They recommend further research in larger and more diverse groups.
