(RxWiki News) Diet sodas are becoming more popular among dieters despite the fact that they’re blamed for increasing obesity rates. Are these calorie-free drinks the problem?
Many dieters choose diet soda to replace other soft drinks and beverages because the calorie-free drink still has the same flavor . The increased consumption of diet soda has been blamed for the increasing obesity rates, but researchers say that’s not true.
"Drink diet soda, but in moderation."
A physician from Loyola University Health System says the extra-calorie foods that you're washing down with diet sodas are to blame for increased rates of obesity, not the diet sodas.
Jessica Bartfield, M.D., specialist in weight and nutrition at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, stated that many people are probably drinking diet sodas with high-fat and high-calorie fast foods rather than drinking them with a healthful meal prepared at home.
One recent study in particular found that participants who drank more diet sodas throughout the 10-year study had a 70 percent increase in waist circumference compared to those who did not drink diet soda.
Even though the study found that diet sodas caused the ballooning waistlines, Dr. Bartfield disagrees. She says the study’s conclusions were faulty because other factors such as dietary patterns, sleep and genetics weren’t accounted for.
People who are looking to lose weight can reduce calories substantially by switching to diet sodas, says Dr. Bartfield. She cautions, though, that too much of anything is never good.
People should not drink more than two diet sodas per day, Dr. Bartfield concludes.
