Issue Date: July 24, 2005
Diet soda? Fat chance.
A new study's shocking bottom line: If you habitually choose low-calorie over regular soft drinks, your risk of obesity balloons!
Like many others in the '80s, I consumed lots of soda during my college years. When I met my wife in medical school, I shifted from regular to diet sodas. I grew accustomed to the familiar diet soda aftertaste, rationalizing that this choice was good for my health.
While regular soda remains the king of the soft-drink industry, consumption of diet versions has increased consistently since the mid-1990s. Better weight control must be part of the picture, right? Well, maybe not. In a study conducted by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, researchers found that those consuming diet sodas gained more weight over the study period than their counterparts consuming regular soft drinks. The data were reported at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego last month.
The study followed more than 600 people for up to eight years. The participants had normal weight at the beginning of the study and ranged in age from 25 to 64. They were asked about soft-drink consumption -- what type (diet vs. regular), how many cans per day, etc. They were then followed over time, and that's where things got surprising (see box).
Although these findings certainly were intriguing, the researchers were quick to point out that diet sodas don't cause obesity. Remember, most diet sodas contain zero calories, and consuming something with zero calories can't make you obese. What gives? Well, several theories have been proposed. The first is that although a diet soda may taste sweet to your palate, your body still knows that it's nutritionally empty, so by consuming it you wind up sending your body on a mission to find calories from somewhere to make up for the calories that weren't in the soda. Another theory, which I think is right on the mark, is that we develop a certain mind-set in which we believe that because diet soda is calorie-free, we have license to eat other foods more liberally. As a result, even though the soda may be calorie-neutral, the diet produces a calorie surplus.
At a time when our nation is wrestling with a weight-control problem, asking tough questions about our dietary habits is important. Although this study raises more questions than it answers, it should serve as food for thought for us all. If we fill our diets with unhealthful foods, our choice of beverage is unlikely to make up the difference.
Want to get healthy? Watch what you put on your plate and what you pour in your glass. When it comes to beverages, consider more healthful alternatives, and save the sodas for weekend treats.
Tedd Mitchell, M.D., is the medical director of the Wellness Program of Dallas' Cooper Clinic.
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REGULAR VS. DIET
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Regular soft-drink consumption:
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Approximately 33% of those drinking one to two cans per day became overweight or obese.
Approximately 47% of those drinking more than two cans per day became overweight or obese.
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Diet soft-drink consumption:
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Approximately 54% of those drinking one to two cans per day became overweight or obese.
Approximately 57% of those drinking more than two cans per day became overweight or obese.
Source: University of Texas Health Science Center
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