A study appearing in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Proteome Research has given further insight into the correlation between calorie restriction and weight loss. While it is known that calorie-restricted diets are effective at helping people to lose weight, it has now been found that fat cell proteins play an important role in regulating bodily fat stores and extending life.

Dr. Edwin Mariman and his research team sought out to further understand the relationship between fat cell proteins and weight loss. Prior animal studies have shown that low-calorie diets rich in valuable nutrients are effective at maintaining proper bodily weight and lengthening life span.

In order to understand how it works in humans, the team investigated the subcutaneous fat cells of a group of obese people that followed a five-week calorie-restricted diet. Besides the fact that the average participant lost over 20 pounds, researchers discovered that six fat cell proteins in participants’ bodies had changed their composition throughout the course of the diet.

The significance of the discovery is that fat cell proteins instruct the body when and how to store fat. The composition change indicated that the low-calorie diet had actually restructured the proteins, signaling them to store less fat and to use it differently than before. Researchers believe the bodies of the study participants will now regulate themselves better, leading to better health and longer life.

According to researchers, being able to observe the marked changes in fat cell proteins will help verify the effectiveness of various methods of cutting calories to lose weight and gain better health.

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Research carried out on almost 60,000 pregnant women in Denmark found that those who drank artificially sweetened soft drinks, whether fizzy or still, were more likely to give birth early.

It was found that those who drank one serving per day of artificially sweetened fizzy drink were 38 per cent more likely to give birth before 37 weeks gestation and those who consumed four servings a day were 78 per cent more likely to have their baby prematurely.

The effect was weaker for still artificially soft drinks and there was no link between premature birth and sugar-sweetened drinks, they said.

It is thought the artificial sweeteners are broken down in the body into chemicals which may change the womb, the researchers said.

The study was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Dr Shelley McGuire, spokesman for the American Society of Nutrition, said: “These findings may be really important in terms of preventing premature births, especially those that are medically induced by a woman’s health care provider.

“Certainly, until more experimental work is done, this study suggests that pregnant women should steer clear of artificially sweetened drinks. Quite frankly, pregnant women should be focusing more on nutrient-rich drinks anyway, like milk and fruit juices. And don’t forget the water.”

The study conducted by Thorahallur Halldorsson, of the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, did not examine which artificial sweeteners were contained in the drinks.

The effect was limited to women whose birth was deliberately induced early suggesting the drinks do not trigger premature labour but rather cause changes in the body that mean an early birth is necessary.

It was suggested that this could due to a rise in blood pressure or development of diabetes but the researchers ruled this out.

Dr Halldorsson wrote in the research paper: “In conclusion, our findings suggest that the daily intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks may be associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery.

“The relative consistency of our findings for carbonated and noncarbonated soft drinks and the absence of an association for sugar-sweetened soft drinks suggest that the content of artificial sweeteners might be the causal factor.

“However, the replication of our findings in another experimental setting is warranted.”

A spokesman for the British Soft Drinks Association, said: “We should be cautious in our reaction to this study. Its findings should not be over-dramatised.

“Any woman who is concerned about her diet in pregnancy should consult her doctor.”

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