Mechanisms from models--actual effects from real life: the zero-calorie drink-break option.

Animal and human laboratory models show that the suppression of appetite by a modest amount of readily assimilable energy, such as a caloric sweetener, is not likely to last longer than an hour. The transience of their satiating effect constitutes a mechanism whereby the sugars, starch, alcohol and fats in drinks and the snackfoods eaten with them could add to energy intake which is subsequently uncompensated and so contributes to weight gain. Conversely, if those in the habit of consuming such energy-containing drinks and accompaniments avoided such items or replaced them by low-calorie substitutes, this might help in weight reduction and even perhaps in prevention of obesity. The effectiveness of this "zero-calorie drink-break option" can be tested by correlating separately reported real-life eating habits and weight changes across people whose circumstances are similar. The existing field data indicate that the fatter a person is the more likely they are to use the conventional undifferentiated sugar-substitution strategies and also that these usually do not help weight reduction.