The study included 81 women with type 2 diabetes who were overweight or had obesity and regularly drank diet sodas. All participants spent six months in a weight loss intervention program, followed by 12 months in a weight maintenance program.
To gauge the effect of drinking diet soda, researchers randomly assigned half of the participants to switch to water, while the other half stuck to their usual habit of having a diet soda after lunch five times a week.
After 18 months, the water drinkers lost more weight than the diet soda drinkers — 6.82 kilograms (15 pounds) on average, compared with 4.85 kilograms (10.6 pounds) — according to preliminary study findings presented at the 85th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). The results have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal or independently reviewed by diabetes experts who weren’t involved in the research.
People who switched from diet soda to water during the study were also about twice as likely to achieve diabetes remission, according to the findings. Overall, 90 percent of the water drinkers reached diabetes remission, compared with 45 percent of the diet soda drinkers.
Diabetes remission means maintaining an hA1C (blood sugar) level below 6.5 percent for at least three months without taking medications that help lower glucose.
Is Diet Soda Good for Losing Weight?
The study suggests diet soda can help with weight loss, at least in women living with type 2 diabetes, and have a positive impact on their blood sugar levels. But the research has some key limitations, experts say.
While the study wasn’t designed to determine why diet soda might get in the way of diabetes remission, it’s possible that the artificial sweeteners in these calorie-free beverages play a role, says lead study author Mehdi Nasr, BSc, of D2Type Health, a digital health company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
“Diet sodas may alter appetite regulation by increasing cravings for sweet or calorie-dense foods, undermining weight loss and blood sugar control,” Nasr says.
These initial results didn’t include any information on a wide range of variables that can impact diabetes remission, such as participants’ use of diabetes medications, eating habits, or exercise routines.
“I am quite skeptical about the results,” says Robert Cohen, MD, a professor in the division of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, who wasn’t involved in the new study. “I am of the opinion that health risks of diet sodas are overstated.”
Although there was a statistically meaningful difference in the amount of weight loss (about 5 pounds) between the water and diet soda drinkers in the study, this difference wasn’t big enough to result in different clinical outcomes like higher odds of diabetes remission, Dr. Cohen says. The study would need to provide more baseline information, like how close participants were to remission at the start of study, or whether the groups were evenly matched based on weight or blood sugar.
Should You Give Up Diet Soda?
The results aren’t completely surprising based on research to date on the health effects of artificial sweeteners, says Danielle Haslam, PhD, an instructor in medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and a nutrition researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
More research is still needed to better understand exactly how diet sodas impact health, particularly compared with water, Haslam says. While this work is ongoing, however, it makes sense to err on the side of caution and cut back on diet sodas and artificial sweeteners, Haslam says.
Healthy Diet Soda Alternatives
The good news is there are lots of alternatives to diet soda.
If you don’t like drinking lots of water, trying sparkling instead of still is one way to get a fizzy drink without adding calories or artificial sweeteners to your diet, Cohen says.
There are plenty of other good alternatives, too, says New York City–based Samantha Heller, RD, who wasn’t involved in the new study.
“Water, tea, herbal teas, and seltzers are all good beverage options,” Heller says. She also suggests trying the following additions to zhuzh your water or seltzer:
- a small amount of pure fruit juice
- fresh fruit slices like oranges, lemons, or strawberries
- herbs like basil, mint, or rosemary
- vegetables such as cucumbers
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