A new study just came out implicating sodas in weight gain—
both regular AND diet sodas! Now listen, I know sodas go on sale in supermarket all the time and I know you like them. But bear with me for minute. You have to read these statistics!
The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio ran an eight year study to study the effects of soft drink use. Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, who ran the study, had this shocking statement to say, "What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity. What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher."
Of the 622 participants—all of normal weight at the beginning of the study, about a third became overweight or obese.
For the regular soft drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:
*26% for up to ½ can each day
*30.4% for ½ to one can each day
*32.8% for 1 to 2 cans each day
*47.2% for more than 2 cans each day.
But look at the increase for diet soft-drink drinkers!
*36% for up to ½ can per day
*37.5% for ½ to one can per day
*54.5% for 1 to 2 cans per day
*57.1% for more than 2 cans each day.
For each can of diet soda consumed, a person's risk of obesity went up 41%!!!
One of the theories of why the difference may have something to do with trying to fool our bodies. We give them the sweet taste of a diet drink, but no calories. Another recent study showed that baby rats when fed artificial sweeteners craved more calories than baby rats fed real sugar.
Fowler says, "If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot of calories, but it isn't there, your body is alerted to the possibility that there is something there and it will search for the calories promised but not delivered."
She goes on to say, "People think they can just fool the body. But maybe the body isn't fooled. If you are not giving your body those calories you promised it, maybe your body will retaliate by wanting more calories. Some soft drink studies also suggest that diet drinks stimulate appetite."