"Don't zero-calorie drinks actually stimulate appetite?"
A new study has found that people who drank zero-calorie beverages while dieting lost an average of 1.1 kilograms more than those who drank water.
Zero-Calorie Drink Group Loses 4.8 Kg, 1.1 Kg More Than Water Group
The New York Post reported on the 20th that researchers at the University of Liverpool in Britain and others had tracked overweight and obese adults for two years. The paper was published in the latest issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, an international academic journal.
The researchers randomly assigned 749 British adults with a body mass index of 27 to 35, of whom 493 took part in the beverage experiment.
Participants drank at least about 660 milliliters of either water or zero-calorie beverages a day. The zero-calorie drinks contained sweeteners including aspartame, acesulfame potassium and sucralose, and the experiment did not focus on any single brand of zero-calorie cola.
Participants joined a weight management program weekly for the first 12 weeks and monthly for the following 40 weeks. During the final year, their weight changes were observed without regular support.
An analysis of the 220 people who completed the two-year follow-up showed that the zero-calorie drink group had maintained an average weight loss of 4.8 kilograms, compared with 3.7 kilograms for the water group. Both groups saw reductions in waist and hip circumference, and some metabolic health indicators also improved. Sugar intake fell slightly more in the zero-calorie drink group.
Artificial Sweeteners Were Said to Spur Appetite. What Did Two Years Show?
The study is drawing attention because it contrasts with earlier concerns that artificial sweeteners could instead hinder weight management.
Zero-calorie drinks can deliver a sweet taste without sugar, but critics have argued that sweeteners increase appetite or cravings for sweet foods. One earlier study found that sucralose activated the hypothalamus, the brain region that regulates appetite, more than sugar did.
In this study, however, researchers found no evidence that the zero-calorie drink group fared worse than the water group in maintaining weight loss.
Jason Halford, a professor at the University of Liverpool and the University of Leeds and a co-author of the study, said drinks with non-nutritive sweeteners are an effective option for replacing sugar-sweetened beverages, adding that they delivered results on par with water over two years.
Joanne Harrold, a professor at the University of Liverpool, also said the long-term randomized controlled trial produced no findings to support concerns that sweeteners disrupt appetite control or cause weight gain.
Can You Diet on Zero-Calorie Drinks Alone From Now On?
That does not mean zero-calorie drinks are healthier than water. The difference in weight loss between the two groups was not statistically significant, and only 220 of the 493 participants completed the two-year follow-up.
Because participants also took part in a weight management program, the weight loss cannot be attributed to beverage choice alone.
On some health indicators, the zero-calorie drink group showed relatively more favorable changes in total cholesterol, while the water group performed better on glycated hemoglobin and diastolic blood pressure. The researchers said, however, that these differences were not clinically meaningful.
The World Health Organization issued a conditional recommendation in 2023 against using non-sugar sweeteners for purposes such as weight control. It cited uncertainty over long-term body fat reduction and the possibility, raised in some observational studies, of an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
The study's funding source should also be taken into account, as it was supported by the American Beverage Association. The researchers said the association was not involved in the study design, analysis or interpretation of the results, but was given an opportunity to review the manuscript. Association funds were also used to support the writing of the manuscript.
Above all, the study compared only changes in weight and did not examine the long-term risk of diabetes or cardiovascular disease associated with zero-calorie drinks.
