Studies suggest that there is a correlation between diet soda consumption and increased risk of obesity, but it’s not necessarily a direct cause. People who drink diet soda may be less likely to pay attention to what else they’re eating and use it as an excuse to consume more calories. Those who consume a lot of sugary sodas may lose weight by switching to diet sodas, but consumption should remain low and paired with a healthy diet and exercise program.
For all you dieters out there, there are several studies that beg the question: does diet soda cause weight gain? The answer to this is a bit complicated, but in general it can be said that diet soda drinkers can gain weight. This doesn’t mean you can answer the question with an immediate yes, but there is certainly a correlation between diet drink consumption and increased risk of obesity.
If you eat a healthy diet, drinking diet soda is unlikely to keep you waiting. If you use diet drinks to offset the consumption of calories and unhealthy foods, drinking them may make you wait longer. Studies show that people often use the consumption of diet soda to justify the consumption of any other food, thinking that the lack of calories in the soda will make up for the excessive consumption of calories in other foods.
In fact, studies show that all types of diet sodas cause weight gain at a higher rate than drinking sugary sodas. But again, “cause” is used loosely here, and should be considered correlation rather than cause. A 2005 study by Sharon Fowler found the following facts to be true. Drinking half a can of diet soda daily increases the risk of obesity by 37.5%. In contrast, drinking the same amount of regular soda increases the risk of obesity by 30%. The biggest difference in numbers was found when people drank one or two cans of regular or diet soda daily. Those who drank regular soda were 32.8% more likely to become obese, but those who drank diet soda were 54.5% more likely to become obese.
Experts believe it’s not that types of diet sodas cause weight gain, but rather that people who drink diet sodas may be less likely to pay attention to what else they’re eating. They may even use diet soda to drink as an excuse to consume more calories. Many nutrition studies suggest that many Americans are likely to significantly underestimate their daily caloric intake.
On the other hand, people who consume a lot of sugary sodas may, if they are on a diet, find that they will lose a little weight if they switch to diet sodas. Still, consumption should remain low and people should keep in touch with the other things they are eating and have a healthy diet and exercise program.
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