Two-year trial finds diet drinks match water for weight loss in adults with overweight

Right · 2A two-year randomized trial led by the University of Liverpool in England found that diet drinks with sugar substitutes were as effective as water for supporting weight loss in overweight or obese adults. 1 2 Right · 2The trial enrolled 493 people aged 18 to 65 with a body mass index between 27 and 35; for 104 weeks, half received 22.3 ounces of water a day and half received the same amount of drinks with non-nutritive sweeteners, about two cans. 1 2 Right · 2The sweetened-drink group could choose diet sodas, low-calorie fruit drinks and flavoured waters, mainly containing aspartame, acesulfame potassium and sucralose. 1 2

Right · 2After two years, the diet-drink group had lost about 10.6 pounds and the water group about 8.2 pounds, though the reports say there was no meaningful difference between the groups in waist and hip measurements or body fat. 1 2 Right · 2Both groups kept off a meaningful amount of weight, including in the last year when regular weight-management support ended, and total cholesterol stayed in the healthy range in both. The findings were published in the British Journal of Nutrition. 1 2 Right · 2Alix Turoff, a New York dietitian not involved in the study, said it does not show the diet drinks caused the weight loss, because everyone was in a structured programme with nutrition counselling, behavioural support and activity advice. She said their value lies in substitution for higher-calorie drinks, not a metabolic effect. 1 2

Right · 2The comparison was against water rather than sugar-sweetened drinks, so it tested whether the sweeteners themselves hinder weight loss. Turoff noted no significant between-group differences in hunger or sugar intake at the end, and still recommended water as the main hydration choice while saying people need not fear diet drinks. 1 2 Right · 2Limitations include a single site in England, no collection of race and ethnicity data, and attrition: only 220 of the 493 participants completed the 104-week assessment. The second year was voluntary, so those who stayed may have been more motivated. 1 2 Right · 2The American Beverage Association funded the trial; the authors said it did not take part in the study design, data analysis or interpretation. 1 2