Diet soda linked to higher obesity
Brenna Hindman
Posted: 4/19/06
A recent study conducted by Sharon P. Fowler and presented at the 2005 American Diabetes Association revealed a growing link between soft drink consumption and obesity. More surprising was that people who only drank diet soft drinks had an even higher risk of obesity than those who drank regular ones. The study compiled data over a period of seven to eight years on 1,550 Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white Americans aged 25 to 64. Of the 622 study participants of normal weight at the start of the study, approximately one-third became overweight or obese. The results below reveal one's potential increased risk, according to the study:
While the study does not prove that diet soda causes obesity, the link of an increased risk is nearly undeniable.
People often mistake diet drinks as diets, but our bodies might not be so easily fooled. According to another study, rat pups that were fed artificial sweeteners consequently craved more calories than animals fed real sugar. The body may function in a similar manner. When we offer our bodies the sweet taste of diet drinks but in reality, minimal or no calories, our bodies may look to fulfill that increased need in some other way. Ultimately, some soft drink studies suggest that diet drinks increase the appetite. By trying to trick our bodies with a no/low calorie soft drink, we may end up at the butt of our own joke.
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