on PinterestArtificial sweeteners may help you lose weight, but water remains the best choice for overall health.
on PinterestArtificial sweeteners may help you lose weight, but water remains the best choice for overall health. Stefania Pelfini la Waziya/Getty Images
- A new study reports that replacing sugary beverages with artificially sweetened drinks can help promote weight loss.
- The findings also indicate that drinking water instead of sugar-laden liquids can promote weight loss.
- Experts say that overconsumption of foods and beverages with artificial sweeteners can lead to numerous health issues.
Researchers report that replacing sugary drinks with artificially sweetened drinks can help people lose weight.
Scientists from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Massachusetts also found that replacing sugary beverages with water can lead to weight loss.
The researchers stated that their analysis showed that people who replaced sugary drinks with artificially sweetened beverages achieved modest long-term weight loss, particularly among participants with overweight or obesity and had high sugary beverage intake at the onset of the studies.
They added that participants who replaced artificially sweetened drinks with water experienced modest long-term weight loss, while those who replaced sugary beverages with water had the highest weight loss.
The researchers recently published their findings in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Experts not involved in the study told Healthline that although artificial sweeteners may help with weight loss, they also pose health risks.
They said water is a much healthier choice as a substitute for sugar-laden beverages.
“Avoiding sweeteners entirely by choosing plain water is the better option,” said Mir Ali, MD, a bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. “This avoids the adverse effects of both sugar and artificial sweeteners and is beneficial for weight loss.”
“Water provides hydration and is void of additives,” added Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD, the president of KAK Consulting and a dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Department of Wellness & Preventive Medicine in Ohio. “After all, sugar-sweetened and [artificially sweetened] beverages are considered ultra-processed. Therefore, choosing water is a great way to start reducing [processed foods] in the diet.”
Artificial sweeteners may aid weight loss
For their study, the Harvard scientists analyzed data from 143,000 individuals who participated in the Nurses’ Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.
Participants were ages 26 to 65. They were followed for 24 to 32 years, with biennial questionnaires that updated medical, lifestyle, and anthropometric data.
The researchers reported that the mean weight gain among participants per 4-year interval was 1.3 kilograms (about 2.8 pounds).
They reported that replacing three servings a week of a sugary beverage with an artificially sweetened drink was associated with a weight loss of 1.39 kilograms.
They said there were similar results when replacing sugary beverages with water. They noted that replacing artificially sweetened drinks with water resulted in only “modest reductions in weight.”
Experts say there are several potential reasons for the weight loss by people who switched to artificially sweetened beverages.
“It’s possible this impact is in large part to overall reduction of calories – thereby taking less energy in may lead to weight loss,” Kirkpatrick said. “Additionally, individuals in
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