There are many reasons the rate of overweight and obesity are on the rise in the U.S. and in many other countries around the world. One major reason is the accessibility and over-consumption of refined carbohydrates (sugar) found in so many foods. Even foods some consider healthful like yogurt and juice drinks can have high levels of sugar in them. Sugar tastes good, which keep products flying of the shelves, but other than taste and calories, sugar has nothing more to give, it contains no other nutrients.
 
Artificial, or non-nutritive, sweeteners are chemically derived substances that are much sweeter than sugar so only a little bit is needed to reach the sweet taste we crave. These sweetener's despite their somewhat sordid past (in the 1970s, the FDA was going to ban saccharin based on the reports of a Canadian study that showed that saccharin was causing bladder cancer in rats. This was later disproved when research showed that male rats have a particular pH factor that predisposes them to bladder cancer) can play a large role in weight loss and weight management. They provide all the taste with close to none of the calories and in turn allows is to “have our cake…and not have to buy new pants.”