Diet fizzy drinks ‘make you GAIN weight rather than lose it’, study finds

DIET fizzy drinks can actually make you GAIN weight rather than lose it, a study has found.

Sucralose, found in Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi and other soft drinks, increases food cravings and appetite in women and the overweight.

It was not found to have the same effect on men of a healthy weight.

Researcher Professor Kathleen Page said: “Drinking artificially sweetened drinks may trick the brain into feeling hungry, which may in turn result in more calories being consumed.”

However, Gavin Partington, director of the British Soft Drinks Association, said the study should be “treated with caution” because it was based on a “tiny” number of participants.

He said: “Non-sugar sweeteners are safe according to all leading health authorities in the world, and that’s why they are used in a vast array of food, medicine, dental and drinks products.

"Their use enabled soft drinks manufacturers to reduce take-home sugar from soft drinks by 43.5 per cent between March 2014 and March 2020.”

A spokesman for the International Sweeteners Association added: “The results of this study are in total contrast with the findings of a longer-term clinical trial which showed that sucralose consumption led to decreased food intake and weight loss after a three-month period.

“At a time when obesity, diabetes and dental diseases remain major global health challenges, and in light of public health recommendations to reduce sugar intake, low-calorie sweeteners can be helpful in creating healthier food environments.”

Sucralose, also known as Splenda, is 600 times sweeter than sugar and calorie-free.

Many people use it for weight loss but it has been linked to type 2 diabetes, Los Angeles-based Prof Page added.

It also harms gut bacteria, other studies show.

It comes after a study found diet drinks are no better for your health than sugary versions.

Drinking artificially sweetened drinks “raises your risk of dying young” with consumers more likely to die from heart disease, researchers found.

Experts at Zhengzhou University in China tracked 1.2 million adults over more than 20 years to learn more about their consumption of soft drinks.