Sweetener Syndrome Fructose, a component of common sweeteners, alters appetite-regulating hormones and may prompt overeating, a preliminary study
suggests. Twelve women, who were not overweight, drank a beverage containing either fructose or glucose, another form of sugar, with three meals. After consuming fructose as compared with glucose, they had lower levels of the hormones insulin and leptin, which tend to inhibit food intake; higher levels of ghrelin, which stimulates eating; and increased triglycerides in the blood, a risk factor of heart disease. Minimizing consumption of all sweeteners may be wiser than seeking out artificial
sweeteners instead. Other research, conducted on rats that ingested saccharin, indicates that artificial sweeteners also increase consumption, although it is not clear whether the finding extends to humans. Caveat: Corn syrup is added to about a third of all foods and soft drinks. | 
