Artificial sweeteners or sugar substitutes have few or no calories and are mostly used by people with diabetes. Health conscious and those who wish to lose weight need not be obsessed with these artificial sweeteners for it is much safer and healthier to use less sugar. Researchers say artificial sweeteners may interfere with the body's natural ability to count calories based on a food's sweetness and make people prone to overindulging in other sweet foods and beverages. For example, drinking a diet soft drink rather than a sugary one at lunch may reduce the calorie count of the meal, but it may trick the body into thinking that other sweet items don't have as many calories either.
