Drinking Diet Coke means ‘you’re more likely to put weight on’, doctors warn

If you drink sugar free drinks as a healthier alternative to full sugar pop, then you might want to rethink your drink choice.

Drinking artificially-sweetened drinks, such as Diet Coke, could actually mean you’re more likely to put on weight, doctors have warned.

This is according to researchers from the University of South Australia, who discovered that if you drink low calorie sweeteners (LCS) you won’t reduce your overall sugar intake.

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As an additional warning, the study – published in the Current Atherosclerosis Reports journal – says LCS might in fact be contributing to type 2 diabetes as well.

Lead researcher Professor Peter Clifton said: “There has been a 200 per cent increase in LCS usage among children and a 54 per cent increase among adults in the past 20 years.”

After reviewing previous research, his team came across a study from the US, in which 5,158 adults took part over seven years – it found that people who consumed large quantities of artificial sweeteners gained more weight than those who don’t.

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According to Prof Clifton: “Consumers of artificial sweeteners do not reduce their overall intake of sugar. They use both sugar and low-calorie sweeteners and may psychologically feel they can indulge in their favourite foods.”

He added: “Artificial sweeteners can also change the gut bacteria which may lead to weight gain and risk of type 2 diabetes”.

Drink companies often use artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, promoting them as a healthier alternative because of the low calorie count.