Diet drinks play positive role in weight loss, claims study

Diet drinks can help people lose weight, a new study published in Obesity, the journal of The Obesity Society in the US, has claimed.

The 12-week clinical study of 303 participants compared the effects of water and diet drinks on weight loss within a behavioural weight loss programme. Conducted simultaneously by researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Center for Health and Wellness in Aurora and Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education in Philadelphia, the study showed that subjects who consumed diet beverages lost an average of 13lb – 44% more than the control group, which lost an average of 9lb. More than half of the participants in the diet beverage group – 64% – lost at least five per cent of their body weight, compared with 43% of the control group. Losing this amount of body weight has been shown to significantly improve health, including lowering the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

'This study clearly demonstrates that diet beverages can in fact help people lose weight, directly countering myths in recent years that suggest the opposite effect – weight gain,' said James Hill, Executive Director of the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center and a co-author of the study. 'In fact, those who drank diet beverages lost more weight and reported feeling significantly less hungry than those who drank water alone.'

John Peters, co-author of the study and Chief Strategy Officer at the CU Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, added: 'This research allows dieters to feel confident that low- and no-calorie sweetened beverages can play an important and helpful role as part of an effective and comprehensive weight loss strategy.'

Study participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: those who were allowed to drink diet beverages, such as diet sodas, teas and flavoured waters, or those who were in a control group that drank water only. With the exception of beverage options, both groups followed an identical diet and exercise programme for the duration of the study.

In addition to losing 44% more weight than the control group, the diet beverage group also reported feeling significantly less hungry; showed significantly greater improvements in serum levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL); and saw a significant reduction in serum triglycerides.

Both the diet soda and water groups saw reductions in waist circumference and blood pressure.