This is why diet pop is really bad!!
http://www.medpagetoday.com/LabNotes/LabNotes/33309Fat Cells Sweet On Saccharin
Fat cells appear to have a taste for artificial sweeteners that may make them pack on the lipids, researchers found.
It's been shown that the sweet receptors T1R2 and T1R3, which are expressed on the tongue, are also found in adipose tissue. This may help the cell sense whether there's excess energy to be stored, which may contribute to adiposity.
In several different types of cells, Becky Simon, BS, of the University of Michigan, and colleagues found that putting the artificial sweetener saccharin in the cell environment led to greater adipogenesis.
They found the converse was also true; knocking down these receptors prevented fat cells from getting bigger, even in the presence of saccharin.
Simon and colleagues saw similar results in mouse models: animals that lacked these receptors in their fat cells didn't experience excessive weight gain, even on a high-fat diet.
Presenting the results during a late-breaking session at the recent American Diabetes Association meeting, Simon said that artificial sweeteners appear to have a higher affinity for taste receptors than naturally occurring sugars such as fructose and glucose – a finding that needs further exploration.
-- Kristina Fiore