London, Sept. 30 (SANA) Sugar-free soft drinks containing low- or no-calorie sweeteners performed similarly to water in supporting long-term weight management when consumed as part of a structured program, according to a two-year randomized clinical trial.
The University of Liverpool said Tuesday that researchers from Liverpool and the University of Leeds examined the long-term effects of non-nutritive sweetened beverages on weight management.
The SWITCH trial found no statistically significant difference in weight loss between participants assigned to the sweetened drinks and those assigned to water after 104 weeks. The results were published in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Nutrition.
The trial randomized 493 adults with overweight or obesity to consume either water or commercially available sugar-free drinks containing non-nutritive sweeteners, including aspartame, acesulfame potassium and sucralose, as part of a behavioral weight-management program.
Of the 493 randomized participants, 220 completed the 104-week assessment — 117 in the water group and 103 in the non-nutritive sweetened beverage group.
After 104 weeks, participants assigned to the sugar-free drinks had lost an average of about 4.8 kilograms from baseline, compared with about 3.7 kilograms among those assigned to water. The difference between the groups was not statistically significant.
Both groups recorded reductions in waist and hip circumference and improvements in body composition and several metabolic biomarkers.
Sugar intake declined in both groups, with a slightly greater reduction among participants assigned to non-nutritive sweetened drinks.
Researchers reported no clinically meaningful differences between the groups in measures including blood pressure and cholesterol following long-term consumption of the drinks.
The SWITCH trial was designed to examine the effects of non-nutritive sweetened beverages on appetite and weight management compared with water during a structured weight-management program.
Researchers said the findings provide two-year clinical data on the use of such beverages in weight management. The results do not mean that consuming sugar-free drinks alone causes weight loss; the participants took part in a behavioral weight-management program.
The University of Liverpool described the trial as the longest randomized controlled study of its kind. The research was funded by the American Beverage Association, while the university said the research team was independent of the funder and controlled the analysis and reporting of the findings.
The findings come amid continuing scientific debate over the role of non-sugar sweeteners in weight management and their potential use as substitutes for sugar.
T.S /R.K
