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Does Diet Coke make you FAT? Sugar-free fizzy drinks make people eat more food

  • People who opt for diet drinks do not consume fewer calories overall
  • This could be because artificial sweeteners in diet drinks affect a person’s appetite control meaning they are less able to gauge energy consumption
  • People who drink diet fizzy drinks tend to have a higher BMI and to consume more snacks than people who drink regular fizzy drinks

By
Emma Innes


PUBLISHED:

06:09 EST, 17 January 2014

|
UPDATED:

08:48 EST, 17 January 2014

Many dieters opt for sugar-free drinks in a bid to shed some excess pounds, but new research suggests this tactic is not effective.

U.S. researchers found that overweight and obese adults who drink diet fizzy drinks consume more calories from food than those who drink regular fizzy drinks.

The researchers, at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, examined national patterns in adult drink consumption and calorie intake.

Overweight people who drink diet fizzy drinks eat more meaning they do not consume fewer calories overall

They discovered that those who opt for diet drinks do not end up consuming fewer calories overall.

‘Although overweight and obese adults who drink diet soda eat a comparable amount of total calories as heavier adults who drink sugary beverages, they consume significantly more calories from solid food at both meals and snacks,’ said Dr Sara Bleich, associate professor with the Bloomberg School’s Department of Health Policy and Management and lead author of the paper. 

WHY DO DIET DRINKS MAKE PEOPLE EAT MORE?

Artificial sweeteners, which are present
in large quantities in diet soda, are associated with a greater
activation of reward centres in the brain.

In other words, among people who
drink diet soda, the brain’s sweet sensors may no longer provide a
reliable gauge of energy consumption because the artificial sweetener
disrupts appetite control. 

As a result, consumption of diet drinks may result in increased food intake overall. 

Using data from the 1999 to 2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers looked at national patterns of drink consumption and caloric intake.

Consumption of diet drinks has increased considerably in the past few decades from three per cent in 1965 to 20 per cent today.

Individuals who drink diet soda typically have a higher BMI (Body Mass Index) and consume more snack food than those who drink sugary beverages.    

Earlier research may explain why the investigators found higher consumption of food among heavy adults who drink diet beverages.

Artificial sweeteners, which are present
in large quantities in diet soda, are associated with a greater
activation of reward centres in the brain.

It is thought the artificial sweeteners in diet drinks affect the brain’s ability to control appetite meaning people are more likely to snack

In other words, among people who drink diet soda, the brain’s sweet sensors may no longer provide a reliable gauge of energy consumption because the artificial sweetener disrupts appetite control. 

As a result, consumption of diet drinks may result in increased food intake overall. 

‘The results of our study suggest that overweight and obese adults looking to lose or maintain their weight – who have already made the switch from sugary to diet beverages – may need to look carefully at other components of their solid-food diet, particularly sweet snacks, to potentially identify areas for modification,’ said Dr Bleich. 

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Comments (71)

what you think

The comments below have not been moderated.

userpete86,

IrvineCA, United States,

moments ago

Just about every artificial sweetener gets outed for causing cancer eventually. That alone is reason to avoid just about anything that is processed into a white powder. Even sugar is probably better than aspartame.

FedUpUK,

Manchester,

moments ago

What a load of rubbish! The only time I have a fizzy drink is when it’s part of a sandwich deal at the supermarket, I go for the diet one and it doesn’t make me eat more!

Pink Piggy,

Where the Jumblies live., United Kingdom,

5 minutes ago

I suppose if you think you’re being good by not having many calories in your drinks, then you can treat yourself to that big cream cake you’ve been eyeing up in the cake shop. And then, a small bag of chips wouldn’t hurt, would it? And then…you’ve put on a few pounds.

Ruby99,

Kent, United Kingdom,

6 minutes ago

Er yes thought everyone knew this anyway

PROUD Englishman,

Stratford East London, United Kingdom,

6 minutes ago

IF you must drink cola then only the normal one. Diet cola contains substances which are dangerous to the human body.

Ruby99,

Kent, United Kingdom,

7 minutes ago

Erm YES thought everybody knew this now xx

Jon,

Hotsham,

9 minutes ago

The “aspartame’s dangerous” thing is a load of conspiracy theory guff. It’s the most thoroughly tested food additive on the planet and the only people who actually claim that there’s an issue with it are of the “wear tin foil as a hat” variety. Most of this rumour comes from the “Nancy Markle” internet hoax from a few years ago that claimed that aspartame gave you “blindness, spasms, shooting pains, seizures, headaches, depression, anxiety, memory loss, birth defects” and death” as well as being responsible for MS and Lupus. This was entirely made up and never had any basis in fact. Unsurprisingly, no-one could ever find Nancy Markle to try and back up her claims. It speaks volumes that the Markle hoax is actually studied in Media courses as a textbook internet smear campaign.

MissE,

London, United Kingdom,

9 minutes ago

People are thinking the wrong way. It shouldn’t be ‘will this make me fat?’ but more like ‘will this make me healthy?’ If you put good, natural substances into your body over artificial substances and do exercise, you will feel better and your body will follow. Water, or pure juice is the best option to drink if you want to be healthy.

jobob,

Brandon, United States,

16 minutes ago

Pile of crap, been drinking diet soda for yeasr to control weight and I am thin and they don’t make me crave to eat more,just fat people’s excuses of why they eat too much.

samtulloch,

northants,

17 minutes ago

Yawn!!

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