Data gathered from the 25-year long San Antonio Heart Study (2005) showed that drinking diet soft drinks increased the likelihood of serious weight gain – far more so than regular soda. On average, each diet soft drink the participants consumed daily increased their risk of becoming overweight by 65 percent within the next seven to eight years. This also made them 41 percent more likely to become obese.
While reasons for this ironic finding are still being investigated, here are some possible reasons:
- Sweet taste alone appears to increase hunger, regardless of caloric content.
- Artificial sweeteners appear to simply perpetuate a craving for sweets, and overall sugar consumption is therefore not reduced, which in turn perpetuates the weight control problem.
- Any sweetener tends to cause increased inflammation, perpetuating a likelihood of obesity.
With this finding, I say whether or not you are trying to lose weight, don’t have diet sodas and don’t sweeten anything using artificial sweeteners. For an enjoyable healthy option to soft drinks, mix 3/4 parts of naturally carbonated mineral water, such as Gerolsteiner, with 1/4 unsweetened whole fruit juice.
Decreasing your sugar consumption and especially artificial sweeteners, will not only help you with weight loss, but also your overall health.
Let me know your thoughts about this post by posting a comment below. If you have any questions, you can post it as a comment or fill out our contact form above.