Can you please clear the air for me? Do diet sodas really cause weight gain? I drink Diet Coke on a regular basis and have always struggled with my weight and was thinking maybe the Diet Coke is to blame. I’ve heard so many different stories that I don’t know what to believe. — Natalie

 

Natalie, I get asked this question at least once a week.

Headlines have reported that diet soda drinking can lead to weight gain, which has stirred up great debate among health experts. Some studies have shown that diet soda drinking has been beneficial when it comes to weight loss and other studies have shown it to be detrimental which has most of the population wondering what to believe.

Two studies that were presented in June 2011 at the American Diabetes Association’s Scientific Sessions suggested diet soda may not help fight the battle of the bulge or diabetes. Researchers at the University of Texas showed data that diet soft drink consumption was associated with a 70 percent greater waist circumference (a risk factor for type 2 diabetes) compared with non-users.

In the second study, the research found that the artificial sweetener aspartame raised blood sugar in diabetes-prone mice. The findings coincide with other recent studies that have found negative health results associated with drinking diet soda.

In a January 2012 study daily diet soda intake (at least one per day) was linked with an increased risk of vascular issues, such as stroke. These studies were a real eye opener for those who consume diet soft drinks on a regular basis and for the soda industry as well. According to Beverage Digest, Americans spend nearly $73.9 billion a year on carbonated soft drinks. That’s a lot of soda.

Now for the other side of the story. In March 2012 a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that switching from a high-calorie beverage to low-calorie beverage resulted in a sufficient reduction in calories. The calories saved from switching provided weight loss of two percent over a six-month period.

So what should you believe?

It can be very confusing when you look at the field of research that has been done on diet soda drinking. Some studies find diet soda is linked with weight gain, others reveal it aids weight loss, and some find no benefit at all.

Why are the findings so confusing? You would expect the consumption of zero-calorie beverages to be uniformly linked with weight loss. The answer may be simply that obese people drink a lot of diet soda, which would explain the association between diet soda intake and higher weight in obese population. And diet soda may encourage higher calorie intake of other food groups—the old ”Burger, large fries and diet soda ” habit. It’s calorie displacement; replacing calories saved by the diet soda with high fat, high calorie food items. Also if people think they’ve been “good” by drinking a diet soda, they have a tendency to indulge in high-calorie treats to reward themselves.

My recommendations for now; the best way to keep your diet soda habit under control is to drink more of the best zero-calorie beverages you can find—-plain water, plain coffee or unsweetened tea.

Natalie, I hope this answers your question.

Not being able to lose weight can be caused by several different factors; drinking diet sodas may or may not be one of them. Failed weight loss attempts are very frustrating, making one feel that they were just meant to be overweight.

If you have attempted and been unsuccessful, I would recommend you find out your metabolic rate. Knowing your metabolic rate takes out the guesswork. Once you know how many calories your body truly needs the rest is easy. We perform metabolic tests on all of our weight loss clients and have huge success in doing so. It’s a simple test that takes less than 10 minutes to complete and gives us the information we need to help you reach your weight loss goal.

 

If you have a nutrition question you’d like answered in this column send it to oconeenutrition@yahoo.com with “Question for the Breeze” as the subject title. Lisa Eisele, RD, CSO, LD, can be reached at 706-473-5801.