Diet drinks do help with weight loss - study

Dieters may find it easier to switch from a calorie-laden fizzy drink to the diet version than to water. Photo / iStock

Diet drinks do help people lose weight - and may even be better than water, scientists say.

After analysing almost 250 human and 90 animal studies, Bristol University researchers said that saccharin, aspartame and other widely used sugar substitutes cut calorie intake and body weight.

It has been claimed that they are of little benefit and may even make people put on weight. One explanation is that a low-calorie drink or two is treated as a licence to overindulge in fatty or sugary snacks.

Another is that artificial sweeteners fail to trigger the brain regions and hormones that tell us we are full and so we eat more.

As a result, some experts say diet drinks should be included in any 'sugar tax' slapped on fizzy drinks.

But after reviewing the evidence, Professor Peter Rogers, an expert in diet and behaviour who led a team of 11 scientists, including some with links to the sugar and artificial sweetener industries, said artificial sweeteners did help with weight loss. This was because slimmers may find it easier to switch from a calorie-laden fizzy drink to the diet version than to water, leading to them taking in fewer calories overall.

According to the research, those who consumed diet drinks lost 1.3 kilograms more on average than those who had sugary drinks.

They also lost around a kilogram more than those who drank water, although the researchers were cautious about the strength of this evidence. If diet drinks did help with weight loss more than water, it may be because they were a more appealing alternative for those used to sugary drinks.

- Daily Mail