Low calorie, but high risk?

Are artificial sweeteners benign or a threat to your long-term health? A recent study adds a new element to the debate.

Artificial sweeteners seem to offer a tantalizing free pass to dessert. These low- or no-calorie additives taste like sugar, but your body can't absorb them the same way it does natural sugars. You get the taste without the calories, which should mean that you can eat them guilt-free. Right?

Over the years, experts have increasingly questioned whether artificial sweeteners are too good to be true. Are they really your ticket to a ­low-calorie treat — or will you wind up getting your just desserts for trying to outsmart Mother Nature?