December 5/London/Daily Record -- Scientists say low-calorie fat substitutes, used in snacks for dieters, may actually make them pile on the pounds. They discovered that when someone tastes the diet versions of foods, the body gears up to expect lots of calories so, when it only gets a low calorie hit, it confuses the body and makes one eat more.
Researchers from Purdue University in Indiana performed experiments on lab rats. Researcher Susan Swithers said, "Substituting a part of the diet with a similar tasting item that has fewer calories sounds like a commonsense approach to lose weight, but there are other psychological functions at work.