The following appeared in the health section of a magazine on trends and lifestyles:

“People who use the artificial sweetener aspartame are better off consuming sugar, since aspartame can actually contribute to weight gain rather than weight loss. For example, high levels of aspartame have been shown to trigger a craving for food by depleting the brain of a chemical that registers satiety, or the sense of being full. Furthermore, studies suggest that sugars, if consumed after at least 45 minutes of continuous exercise, actually enhance the body’s ability to burn fat. Consequently, those who drink aspartame-sweetened juices after exercise will also lose this calorie-burning benefit. Thus it appears that people consuming aspartame rather than sugar are unlikely to achieve their dietary goals.”

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument. For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion.

This argument is based upon several questionable assumptions. First, the author claims that aspartame is ‘safer’ than sugar. However, aspartame is a synthetic compound, which means that it is man-made. The health effects of artificial sweeteners are not well understood, and aspartame in particular has only recently become a target of some scrutiny. Some studies have indicated that aspartame may be linked to weight gain, although the research is inconclusive, and they must then be weighed against the fact that aspartame is not considered to be dangerous to human health. Second, the author assumes that consuming aspartame after exercise will result in weight loss. However, no research has been conducted to confirm that this will happen. The author assumes that the artificial sweeteners in aspartame will somehow cause the body to burn more calories than normal, but it is unclear why this would be the case. It is possible that the artificial sweeteners in aspartame are absorbed differently by the body than sugars, but there is little research to support this idea. Finally, the author assumes that artificial sweetener consumption after exercise will result in weight loss. Again, no research has been conducted to confirm this

There is one study that appears to support the idea that aspartame consumption after exercise may result in weight loss. In the study, rats were given free access to either aspartame or sugar water. When the rats consumed the artificial sweetener, their metabolic rates decreased, indicating that consuming the artificial sweetener decreased their metabolisms. However, the rats did not lose weight. It is possible that the rats consumed more calories than they had burned during their exercise session, but the researchers did not offer any explanation as to why the rats did not lose weight. It is also possible that, as the rats exercised, they burned some fat, and consuming the artificial sweeteners may have temporarily suppressed their metabolisms, allowing the fat to accumulate. So, while there is some evidence that consuming aspartame after exercise may result in weight loss, the scientific evidence is inconclusive. However, if aspartame consumption after exercise does have an effect on weight loss, it would only be temporary. Eventually, the metabolism would return to normal

Since aspartame consumption does appear to be linked to weight gain, it is unlikely that people who use stevia, which is derived from a plant and does not contain any artificial sweeteners, will gain weight. Stevia has gained popularity because it is considered to be a healthier alternative to artificial sweeteners. Unfortunately, stevia does not have any discernible effect on metabolism, so it does not help people lose weight. So, while people may not gain weight when they consume artificial sweeteners, they are likely to gain weight without consuming artificial sweeteners

In conclusion, the author presents several questionable assumptions. Although aspartame consumption may result in weight loss, this effect is only temporary. Furthermore, artificial sweeteners like aspartame may, in fact, lead to weight gain, so people who use artificial sweeteners are likely to gain weight. Therefore, people who consume artificial sweeteners are likely to fail to achieve their weight loss goals.

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