Study says Soda drinks loss more weight than water

People taking part in a weight loss program did better over 12 weeks if they drank diet soda than if they drank only water, researchers reported Tuesday.
Among the 303 dieters, the people who drank only water lost 8.4 pounds; those who drank diet soda lost 12.1 pounds, and they reported “significantly greater reduction in subjective feelings of hunger,” the researchers said in the journal Obesity.

"This brief, 12-week study adds to the evidence that artificially sweetened beverages do not increase appetite and weight gain, though the researchers should not have published a paper until the whole year-long study was completed."

The dieters, with body mass indices of 27 to 40, enrolled in a one-year clinical trial at the University of Colorado and Temple University. The results reported Tuesday are from the first 12 weeks of that year.

The participants all exercised fewer than 300 minutes a week and drank at least three diet sodas a week. The two groups were put on the same program, except for their drinks. They all attended group meetings run by dietitians or psychologists, took part in weekly weigh-ins, and kept track of their hunger feelings.

 The water group was asked to drink at least three cups of water a day and not drink any diet sodas. They could, however, consume artificial sweeteners in foods, but they were asked not to add them in, for example, coffee.
The other group was asked to drink at least three cups of diet soda a day. Their water consumption was not restricted.

The researchers could not identify the mechanism for the higher weight loss among the people who drank diet sodas. They said it’s plausible that because they said they felt less hungry, those dieters stuck more faithfully to the diet program.