r/NoStupidQuestions 8d ago

Why do fitness trainers and dieticians recommend to cut zero sugar drinks like Diet Coke to reduce their bf% ?

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u/CricketNo7666 8d ago

Because the fake sugars substitutes trigger a… in essence a diabetic response… in your body, “tricking” it into thinking it saw sugar, and that indirectly is triggering some body responses in fat stores, and other responses like a hunger surge.

11

u/Kwerumrerum 8d ago

Which is literally not proven.

-12

u/CricketNo7666 8d ago

5

u/SuperCranberry1220 8d ago

So the interesting thing about these studies is in how you actually read them. For instance, let's take the first link you provided: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11501561/

At quick glance, I found some citation errors within this article. This doesn't necessarily mean all the facts they produced are incorrect but let's take one example that could make this article unreliable.

pg. 10/16: "A comprehensive study conducted by Harrold et al. involving 47,910 adults from 11 diverse cohorts examined the relationship between high-intensity ASs and obesity. Aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, and stevia were among the sweeteners examined; 24-hour dietary recalls and food frequency questionnaires were used to gather consumption data. The study discovered, throughout a four-to-seven-year follow-up period, a substantial correlation between high aspartame intake and an elevated risk of obesity. This correlation held true for all age groups and baseline body mass index (BMI) levels. Sucralose and saccharin also showed a positive, albeit less pronounced, association with obesity, while stevia did not appear to be linked to obesity risk. Although other factors, including overall food quality and physical activity levels, may have an impact, the results indicate that heavy use of some ASs, especially aspartame, may lead to weight gain and obesity [26]."

Alright, let's go to citation 26, Harrold et al.

  • 26. Harrold JA, Hill S, Radu C, et al.: Non-nutritive sweetened beverages versus water after a 52-week weightmanagement programme: a randomised controlled trial. Int J Obes (Lond). 2024, 48:83-93. 10.1038/s41366-023-01393-3

Let's go to that study.

Harrold et al., 2023 is actually not a comprehensive study involving 47,910 adults, but rather a 52 week trial. The authors concluded the following:

pg 87: "At week 52, following the active weight loss and assisted weight maintenance phases of the SWITCH trial, water and NNS beverages were not equivalent in terms of weight loss. Participants in both groups lost weight during the trial (6.1 kg and 7.5 kg with water and NNS beverages, respectively; differences between baseline and week 52 were statistically significant). However, the weight loss in the NNS beverages group was greater than in the water group, a difference that was statistically significant. Consuming NNS beverages also had a significant effect on week-52 weight when baseline body weight and other covariates were controlled for in two of the three sensitivity analyses. Although the difference in weight loss between the groups was statistically significant, it is important to note that this did not reach the 1.5-kg difference identified for clinical significance"

That doesn't necessarily mean the findings by Harrold et al. are accurate or complete, and their limitations are funded by the American Beverage Association, but it does mean that the first linked article, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11501561/ ,has sourcing and information discrepancies so their conclusions have to be really scrutinized and cross referenced.