Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight

[cajunthunder]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,159579,00.html

Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
By Daniel J. DeNoon

People who drink diet soft drinks don't lose weight. In fact, they gain weight, a new study shows.

The findings come from eight years of data collected by Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. Fowler reported the data at this week's annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego.

"What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity," Fowler tells WebMD. "What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher."

In fact, when the researchers took a closer look at their data, they found that nearly all the obesity risk from soft drinks came from diet sodas.

"There was a 41 percent increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day," Fowler says.

More Diet Drinks, More Weight Gain

Fowler's team looked at seven to eight years of data on 1,550 Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white Americans aged 25 to 64. Of the 622 study participants who were of normal weight at the beginning of the study, about a third became overweight or obese.

For regular soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:

— 26 percent for up to 1/2 can each day

— 30.4 percent for 1/2 to one can each day

— 32.8 percent for 1 to 2 cans each day

— 47.2 percent for more than 2 cans each day.

For diet soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:

— 36.5 percent for up to 1/2 can each day

— 37.5 percent for 1/2 to one can each day

— 54.5 percent for 1 to 2 cans each day

— 57.1 percent for more than 2 cans each day.

For each can of diet soft drink consumed each day, a person's risk of obesity went up 41 percent.

Diet Soda No Smoking Gun

Fowler is quick to note that a study of this kind does not prove that diet soda causes obesity. More likely, she says, it shows that something linked to diet soda drinking is also linked to obesity.

"One possible part of the explanation is that people who see they are beginning to gain weight may be more likely to switch from regular to diet soda," Fowler suggests. "But despite their switching, their weight may continue to grow for other reasons. So diet soft-drink use is a marker for overweight and obesity."

Why? Nutrition expert Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, puts it in a nutshell.

"You have to look at what's on your plate, not just what's in your glass," Bonci tells WebMD.

People often mistake diet drinks for diets, says Bonci, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and nutrition consultant to college and professional sports teams and to the Pittsburgh Ballet.

"A lot of people say, 'I am drinking a diet soft drink because that is better for me. But soft drinks by themselves are not the root of America's obesity problem," she says. "You can't go into a fast-food restaurant and say, 'Oh, it's OK because I had diet soda.' If you don't do anything else but switch to a diet soft drink, you are not going to lose weight."

The Mad Hatter Theory

"Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

"I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more."

"You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: “It's very easy to take more than nothing." - Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

There is actually a way that diet drinks could contribute to weight gain, Fowler suggests.

She remembers being struck by the scene in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in which Alice is offended because she is offered tea but is given none — even though she hadn't asked for tea in the first place. So she helps herself to tea and bread and butter.

That may be just what happens when we offer our bodies the sweet taste of diet drinks, but give them no calories. Fowler points to a recent study in which feeding artificial sweeteners to rat pups made them crave more calories than animals fed real sugar.

"If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot of calories, but it isn't there, your body is alerted to the possibility that there is something there and it will search for the calories promised but not delivered," Fowler says.

Perhaps, Bonci says, our bodies are smarter than we think.

"People think they can just fool the body. But maybe the body isn't fooled," she says. "If you are not giving your body those calories you promised it, maybe your body will retaliate by wanting more calories. Some soft drink studies do suggest that diet drinks stimulate appetite."

By Daniel J. DeNoon, reviewed by Charlotte E. Grayson, MD

[ttdriver]

Some soft drink studies do suggest that diet drinks stimulate appetite."

Absolutely!! I seldom if ever drink diet sodas, but when I do, my stomach starts growling within 30 minutes!! Not the case with unsweet tea or water!!

Not only do these drinks make you hungry, but you end up thinking you can eat more food with them since you're drinking DIET!!

Excellent article!

Betty

[Checkers]

I'm drinking diet soda and losing weight.

[michele4ad]

When I crave something sweet, a diet soda can be my savior. It is so much better than alot of other things I could choose. (and I am loosing weight too..alot of weight!)

Michele

[Checkers]

I totally hear you Michele. I would not have made it through my original induction for sure. It simply does not create cravings in me, nor does it stop me from losing weight. I'm sure the preaching is yet to come so I'm outa here.

[cajunthunder]

Hahaha, no preaching from me, cuz I didn't give up my coffee! I think the point we have to remember is that we are all different and things will affect us differently.

I also think the point of the article is more for those who drink a lot of diet sodas, but who aren't dieting at all. And it may just apply to some who are dieting if the sodas do cause cravings, etc... ya know?

Just some food for thought.

:hug

[not2late]

Just my body works, but if I take more than a couple of sips of a soda (coffee or tea for that matter), I feel bloated. And it's not the carbonation either because I can drink seltzer or club soda without any bloating feelings.

Checkers, diet sodas are fine for Induction, provided they are in addition to the daily water intake. :yes But with the huge amounts of water some of us heavier folks had to drink, I don't see where one would have room for more!

[ttdriver]

I'm sure the preaching is yet to come so I'm outa here.

No preaching here either .. do what works, but remember, it was Dr. Atkins who said that aspartame is not in the best interest of Atkineers.

I always wonder.... if you can drink diet soda and still lose, is there a chance that by not drinking it, you'd lose more?

Food for thought .. or should I say Drink for Thought! :guns

[michele4ad]

No I totally agree, I drink too much diet soda, and I have weaned myself quite a bit. I also think part of this diet is learning to eat more naturally, closer to the earth, and diet sodas are definately not natural!!! But I do believe that if they are used ocasionaly in substitution for a higher calorie/higher carb temptation then they can be useful in controlling weight. I don't think they contribute to weight gain, though. I think the correlation between heavier people and diet soda is coincedental. Personally, I have always drank diet soda even when I wasn't on a diet, because I thought at least I could save some calories. I do drink less diet soda now that I am loosing weight, but I think it is because I am drinking so much water and I don't have room for too much diet soda!

Michele

[not2late]

Originally Posted by michele4ad

No I totally agree, I drink too much diet soda, and I have weaned myself quite a bit. I also think part of this diet is learning to eat more naturally, closer to the earth, and diet sodas are definately not natural!!! But I do believe that if they are used ocasionaly in substitution for a higher calorie/higher carb temptation then they can be useful in controlling weight. I don't think they contribute to weight gain, though. I think the correlation between heavier people and diet soda is coincedental. Personally, I have always drank diet soda even when I wasn't on a diet, because I thought at least I could save some calories. I do drink less diet soda now that I am loosing weight, but I think it is because I am drinking so much water and I don't have room for too much diet soda!

Michele

What you bring up is interesting. You drank diet soda to "save" calories.

I knew people who used to eat "low cal" foods because they could eat 2 or 3 times as much "low calorie" foods than they could eat regular. As one of them put it, "Quantity matters". I always thought this was kind of crazy thinking because if you didn't obsessively count your calories, you could easily overdo it and gain weight.

So, it would be interesting to see what other foods and the quantity of those foods the test subjects ate in addition to their diet sodas.