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SUGAR-FREE AND diet drinks don’t help people lose weight, new research has found.
Researchers from Imperial College London and two Brazilian universities, University of Sao Paulo and Federal University of Pelotas, have argued that sugar-free versions of drinks may be no better for weight loss or preventing weight gain than their full sugar counterparts, and may also be detrimental to the environment.
Artificially-sweetened drinks contain no sugar and are often known as ‘diet’ versions of soft drinks, and may be perceived by consumers as the healthier option for those who want to lose weight or reduce their sugar intake.
However, researchers have said there is no solid evidence to support the claims they are any better for health or prevent obesity and obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
Professor Christopher Millett, senior investigator from Imperial’s School of Public Health, said: “A common perception, which may be influenced by industry marketing, 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. However we found no solid evidence to support this.”
Obesity
Sugar-sweetened drinks such as soft drinks, fruit-flavoured drinks and sports drinks make up a third of UK teenagers’ sugar intake, and nearly half of all sugar intake in the US. They provide many calories but very few essential nutrients, and their consumption is a major cause of increasing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Artificially-sweetened drinks currently comprise a quarter of the global sweetened drinks market, but they are not taxed or regulated to the same extent as sugar-sweetened beverages – perhaps due to their perceived harmlessness, researchers said.
Despite having no or very little energy content, there is a concern that artificially-sweetened drinks might trigger compensatory food intake by stimulating sweet taste receptors. Scientists said this, together with the consumers’ awareness of the low-calorie content of the drinks, may result in over-consumption of other foods, thus contributing to obesity, type two diabetes and other obesity-related health problems.
Bad for the environment
In the report, Professor Millett and colleagues also note the production artificially-sweetened drinks has negative consequences for the environment, with up to 300 litres of water required to produce a 0.5 litre plastic bottle of carbonated soft drink.
Dr Maria Carolina Borges, first author of the study from the Federal University of Pelotas, added:
The lack of solid evidence on the health effects of artificially-sweetened beverages (ASBs) and the potential influence of bias from industry funded studies should be taken seriously when discussing whether ASBs are adequate alternatives to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs).
Professor Carlos Monteiro, co-author from the University of Sao Paulo, said: “Taxes and regulation on SBSs and not ASBs will ultimately promote the consumption of diet drinks rather than plain water – the desirable source of hydration for everyone.”
The authors added: “Far from helping to solve the global obesity crisis, ASBs may be contributing to the problem and should not be promoted as part of a healthy diet.”
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This country is sinking in debt and us the taxpayers are fed up.
@James: Does this include Eamon Ryan’s “special appointment” Cara Augustenborg? She’s doing some amount of posting photos from fancy hotels on social media. Wonder if these are going down as expenses?
Great. More tax
@Shaun Gallagher: Green policies cost I’m afraid. We can try and ignore climate change but it won’t save us from the inevitable economic crash that will follow increased temperatures
@Mickety Dee: Green policies, what does that mean exactly? More tax on fuel when there are no alternatives will not save the planet.
@Mickety Dee: increased temperatures will have very little direct effect on ireland or Irelands economy. The effect it may have on the world wide economy is a different matter but since no matter what we do will have any impact on climate change then we should be the last people to make the changes not the first. It’s like two people at the top of a cliff looking at doing a dive, one says you go first I’ll follow, first person jumps and splats on a hidden rock under the water, ends up paralysed for the rest of their life. The second person looks on and says nah, I’ve changed my mind and decides to walk down to a much lower level on a different part of the cliff that they know to be safe and then jumps.
Our government are so eager to be seen to be best in class we are foolishly handing over energy security, driving up costs of homes with rolls Royce building regs for every new home meaning most can’t afford them, on the verge of handing over food security by destroying our aggri sector. We are jumping off that cliff recklessly for no discernable benefit
@Anthony Guinnessy: I think you’ll find the Irish economy is heavily correlated with the world economy. We are a long way from leaders in green policies and even then way behind on targets.
@Steve: An example would be subsidies on wind energy which translates into a tax on your electricity bill. Without subsidies and carbon tax there would be no wind generation on the island. The same would apply to recycling. It is still far cheaper to extract raw materials than recycle them.
It does seem crazy. Just six years ago the doors were thrown open on dairy sector deregulation which drove up investment and quotas and flattened prices. How was the ‘green’ impact of that decision not factored in at the time? Simon Coveney has questions to answer about wildly contradictory policy
@Eoin Roche: there is no plan or long term strategy that planning must align with. There are lobby groups who get what they ask for and over time we end up with a patchwork quilt of lobby appeasing policies that are fit for nothing. We get rid of sugar beet production and increase our dairy herd. Its mind boggling how short term and self serving (for a few) that we have allowed our system to become.
I for one am in favour of the jobs the comet will create.
Irelands headlong dash to be first to the climate action post at all costs no matter who it hurts will have very serious consequences for the economy and future generations
The Irish government practice of showboating on the world stage continues, and we, the people are the ones to suffer.
@Ciaran Maher: yep well said
@Ciaran Maher: yep showboating aptly described it
@Ciaran Maher: Are you really suffering? Doubt it. And certainly not as much as people who live in the areas directly impacted by climate change.
@Paul Whitehead: And these measures will relieve their plight, while China builds more coal fired power stations every week.
have your say