Diet drinks match water in weight-loss trial
Adults who consumed diet drinks achieved similar weight loss to those assigned water over two years in a University of Liverpool trial,reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
The findings, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, provide long-term evidence on artificially sweetened beverages within a structured weight-management program.
Among participants who completed the trial, those assigned diet drinks lost an average of 4.8 kilograms after 104 weeks, compared with 3.7 kilograms among water drinkers. The difference was not statistically significant, meaning chance could explain the gap.
“There was no significant difference in weight loss between NNS beverages or water groups,” the researchers wrote. NNS refers to non-nutritive sweeteners.
Known as SWITCH, the trial began with 493 adults aged 18 to 65 with overweight or obesity. Participants were assigned to consume water or artificially sweetened beverages, with a daily target of at least two 330-millilitre servings.
The diet-drink group chose from 20 beverages, including diet colas, fruit drinks and flavored waters. Water drinkers were asked to avoid artificially sweetened beverages, including sweeteners added to tea or coffee.
Both groups attended weekly nutritionist-led sessions for 12 weeks, followed by monthly sessions for another 40 weeks. A voluntary second year involved monitoring without coaching.
Weight fell fastest during the first three months. Both groups subsequently regained some weight, but those completing the study remained lighter than at the start. Waist and hip measurements declined similarly.
Only 220 participants completed two years: 117 water drinkers and 103 diet-drink consumers. Researchers identified the low completion rate and single-site design as limitations. Analyses estimating missing results reached the same overall conclusion.
Small differences in cholesterol, blood sugar and diastolic blood pressure favored water. Authors considered them medically insignificant, noting that cholesterol and blood-sugar measurements involved small samples.
The findings concern otherwise healthy adults in a weight-management program and do not establish all long-term health effects of artificial sweeteners.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that a Canadian study found evidence suggesting long COVID may damage dopamine-releasing neurons in the brain, potentially explaining persistent fatigue, reduced motivation, slower movement and memory difficulties.
