In a groundbreaking study that will surprise absolutely no one who has ever tried to give up chocolate, researchers have found that cutting back on sweet-tasting foods doesn't actually make you crave them less. The six-month trial, conducted by Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands and Bournemouth University in the UK, followed 180 participants split into three groups: high, low, and average sweetness diets. The sweet taste came from a delightful mix of sugar, naturally occurring sweetness, and low-calorie sweeteners, because apparently scientists have time to be nuanced.

After one, three, and six months, participants reported no changes in their liking or perception of sweetness, and blood and urine samples showed no significant differences in markers related to heart disease and diabetes risk. Participants also reverted to their usual sweet consumption once the study ended, because willpower is a finite resource and researchers can't follow you home forever.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, throw a wrench into the World Health Organization's advice to reduce sweetness in our diets. Katherine Appleton, Professor in Psychology at Bournemouth University and corresponding author, put it succinctly: "People have a natural love of sweet taste," and, plot twist, that doesn't go away just because you tell it to. She argues that the real culprits are sugar and energy-dense foods, not sweetness itself. After all, a fast-food burger might not taste sweet but can be a sugar bomb, while fruit is sweet and good for you. Life is complicated.

So, the next time someone tells you to cut out sweets to curb your cravings, feel free to point out that science says it won't work. But maybe still eat your vegetables.