almost no calories – but that doesn’t mean
they’ll stop you getting fat, or help you
lose weight. According to a new study,
there is little reliable evidence to support
the notion that diet drinks are healthier
than their sugary equivalents (though the
Government seems to think they are: diet
drinks are excluded from the forthcoming
sugar tax). “A common perception… is
that because ‘diet’ drinks have no sugar,
they must be healthier and aid weight loss
when used as a substitute for full-sugar
versions,” said Professor Christopher
Millett of Imperial College London. “We
found no solid evidence to support this.”
Millett and his colleagues, in a paper in the
journal PLOS ONE, say that the results
from randomised controlled trials are
generally inconclusive – and that many of
those that do find evidence that diet drinks
help combat obesity, or type 2 diabetes,
were funded by the drinks industry. Other
studies have suggested that diet drinks
make people crave sweet foods, and
confuse the metabolism. The team argues
that as the drinks also have “negative
consequences for the environment” – it
takes up to 300 litres of water to make a
500ml plastic bottle of fizzy soft drink –
consumers should be encouraged to forego
them altogether, and drink water instead.
