Drinking diet beverages could aid in weight loss after all.
"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," James O. Hill, Ph.D., executive director of the University of Colorado Anschutz Health and Wellness Center and a co-author of the study said in a news release. "In fact, those who drank diet beverages lost more weight and reported feeling significantly less hungry than those who drank water alone. This reinforces that if you're trying to shed pounds, you can enjoy diet beverages."
Researchers looked at 303 patients to assess the role of diet beverages in a 12-week clinical study.
The researchers found participants who drank diet beverages lost an average of 13 pounds, which is 44 percent more than the control group.
About 64 percent of the group that drank diet soda lost at least five percent of their body weight, compared to only 43 percent of the control group. Losing five percent of one's body weight can prevent serious health complications such as heart disease and hight blood pressure.
"There's so much misinformation about diet beverages that isn't based on studies designed to test cause and effect, especially on the Internet," John C. Peters, co-author of the study and the chief strategy officer of the CU Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, said in the news release. "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."
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) - the so-called "bad" cholesterol; and
Saw a significant reduction in serum triglycerides," the news release reported.
