Diet Sodas, Other Products with Artificial Sweeteners Do Not Help with Weight Loss

Diet sodas and other artificially sweetened products don't help with weight loss, according to a new study from Purdue University.

According to Susan E. Swithers, a professor of psychological sciences and a behavioral neuro scientist, it is important to know the effects of having too much artificial sweetener in the diet. She added that consuming too much food containing "no-calorie sweeteners" have been known to be associated with increased risk of heart problems and weight gain.

About 30 percent of all adults in the U.S. consume artificial sweeteners. Even though, diet sodas have been considered healthy food by many, studies show that they are often not. In a review published in Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, Qing Yang wrote about how artificial sweeteners affect the body and change the circuitry of the brain. Another recent study had found that drinking a can of diet soda can increase the risk of diabetes.

"The concern that these non-caloric sweeteners might not be healthy is a message that many people do not want to hear, especially as the prevalence of artificial sweeteners increases in other products," Swithers said in a press release.

Swithers ' study findings are published by Cell Press on Wednesday (July 10) in an opinion article in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism. The study was based on the review of recent research conducted on the impact of artificial sweeteners on health. The studies included in the current research review widely varied design, methodology and population and even in the sweetener type such as aspartame, sucralose and saccharin.

The study review found that low-calorie beverages and other products can confuse the brain's circuitry and lead to weight gain over a long period of time.

"This is an opinion piece not a scientific study," American Beverage Association told USA Today via email. "Low-calorie sweeteners are some of the most studied and reviewed ingredients in the food supply today. They are a safe and an effective tool in weight loss and weight management, according to decades of scientific research and regulatory agencies around the globe."