WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A two-year study published in the British Journal of Nutrition has found that drinking water does not offer a clear weight-loss advantage over diet drinks.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool randomly assigned 493 adults who were overweight or had obesity to drink either water or commercially available diet beverages every day. Both groups also took part in a structured weight-management program. After 104 weeks, participants who drank diet beverages had maintained weight loss similar to those who drank water.
The diet drinks contained low- or zero-calorie sweeteners, including aspartame, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K) and sucralose. Participants consumed these sweeteners at levels well within the safety limits set by the European Food Safety Authority.
On average, participants who drank diet beverages lost 4.8 kilograms, compared with 3.7 kilograms among those who drank water.
Both groups maintained their weight loss over the two years, including the final year, when they no longer received support from the program. Participants in both groups also showed reductions in waist and hip measurements, improvements in body composition and better results in several measures of metabolic health.
However, the difference was not statistically significant, meaning the researchers could not conclude that diet drinks were more effective for weight loss.
Researchers also found no evidence of significant problems with appetite regulation or metabolic health from diet beverages under the conditions studied.
'The University of Liverpool is one of the UK's leading research-intensive higher education institutions, with a key focus on public health. These latest findings show that concerns about sweeteners disrupting appetite or causing weight gain are not supported when tested in a rigorous, long-term randomized trial. We hope this evidence informs future WHO guidance and public health policy,' said lead author Professor Joanne Harrold.
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