Incorporating aspartame-sweetened food products into the diet does result in weight loss, says a new meta-analysis that fills a gap in the science behind the sweetener, reports the web site, FoodNavigator.com.

Many studies have reported weight loss by substituting aspartame-sweetened products in place of sucrose-sweetened products, but an overall review of the data has been lacking from the scientific literature.

"It is now the done thing to do systematic reviews for ingredients and compounds, and this has not been before for aspartame," says co-author Margaret Ashwell from Ashwell Associates, an independent scientific consultancy.

After saccharin, aspartame is the second most used artificial sweetener in the world. The artificial sweetener represents 62 per cent of the value of the intense sweetener market. "Strategies to reverse the upward trend in obesity rates need to focus on both reducing energy intake and increasing energy expenditure," says lead author Anne de la Hunty, from Ashwell Associates. "The use of intense sweeteners as a substitute for sucrose potentially offers a way of helping people to reduce the energy density of their diet without any loss of palatability."

Aspartame is present in about 6,000 products worldwide.

( Editor's Note: In plain English, it means losing weight is a combination of reducing calorie intake and promoting energy loss by engaging in exercise. Aspartame reduces energy intake without causing any loss of taste.)

For the complete story, go to http://www.foodnavigator.com