Diet soda drinkers lost just as much weight as water drinkers, study finds

A recent study comparing British adults who drank either water or diet soft drinks while losing weight or maintaining their weight reached a surprising conclusion: There was essentially no difference between the two groups.

Researchers at the University of Liverpool tracked nearly 500 overweight or obese adults over two years and assigned participants to consume either water or a set amount of nonnutritive sweetened soft drinks each day.

Participants who drank beverages sweetened with aspartame, acesulfame-K or sucralose lost about the same amount of weight or maintained their weight at rates comparable to those who drank water. Both groups showed improvements in waist circumference, body composition and other metabolic measures, while also reducing their sugar intake.

“These latest findings show that concerns about sweeteners disrupting appetite or causing weight gain are not supported when tested in a rigorous, long-term randomized trial,” Prof. Joanne Harrold, one of the researchers, said in a statement.

The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition over the summer, was funded by the American Beverage Association, though researchers said their work was conducted independently.

While the findings could be viewed as a win for diet soda manufacturers, health professionals have historically expressed reservations about artificially sweetened beverages.

Many diet sodas contain caffeine, which is a diuretic, though generally not in amounts that would automatically cause dehydration. Studies have also suggested a potential link between artificial sweeteners and certain health conditions.