If you are trying to lose weight, you should consider drinking diet soda rather than water.
In the latest study supported by the American Beverage Association, around 303 participants were asked to take part in a behavioral weight loss treatment program that lasted for 12 weeks.
The participants were divided into two groups, one in Colorado and one in Pennsylvania. Half of them were asked to drink at least three cups of diet soda a day and as much water as they wanted, while the other half were asked to refrain from drinking diet soda and instead drank only water.
"All participants received a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral weight loss intervention called The Colorado Weigh. Participants attended 12 weekly, 60-minute group meetings that were led by registered dietitians or clinical psychologists. Participants attended group meetings organized by treatment (NNS or Water) and were instructed on behavioral weight loss strategies. Weekly weigh-ins were conducted at each group meeting. Examples of weekly topics include self-monitoring; portion sizes, reading food labels; physical activity and insights into weight loss maintenance from the National Weight Control Registry," says the study that is published in the online journal Obesity.
The study was conducted at the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center in Aurora, Colo., and Temple University's Center for Obesity Research and Education in Philadelphia. The researchers found that study participants who consumed diet soda for 12 weeks lost an average of 13 pounds. On the other hand, the group who drank only water for 12 weeks lost an average of nine pounds.
The researchers also found that around 64 percent of the group who drank diet soda lost a minimum of 5 percent of their total body weight, while only 43 percent of the participants who drank only water lost 5 percent of their weight. Previous studies suggest that losing around 5 percent of the total body weight can notably improve a person's health. Reducing 5 percent of body weight is also believed to lower the risk of heart diseases and high blood pressure.
However, based on an LA Times report, a 12-week examination is considered a very short period of time to jump to conclusions.
"This brief, 12-week study adds to the evidence that artificially sweetened beverages do not increase appetite and weight gain, though the researchers should not have published a paper until the whole year-long study was completed," said Mike Jacobson, executive director of the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The results of the research are also being reviewed by other scientists.
