Weight Loss Information

Diet Soda: New Study Shows Relationship Between Diet Soda and Weight Gain


A very interesting story was reported recently by WebMD.com. A report was made at the annual scientific session of the American Diabetic Association (www.diabetic.org) by Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, of the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Medicine in San Antonio, Texas.

Fowler collected data on over 1,500 people aged 25 to 64 over nearly an eight-year period. At the beginning of the study, 622 people were of normal weight. Over the course of the study, roughly one-third of them became overweight or obese. A correlation was found between increased soda consumption and the risk of becoming overweight or obese.

This in itself is not surprising to most people. What is surprising, however, is that there is a greater risk among diet soda drinkers than among regular soda drinkers. Here are the numbers:

The risk of becoming overweight or obese for regular soft-drink consumers:

26% for up to 1/2 can each day
30.4% for 1/2 to one can each day
32.8% for 1 to 2 cans each day
47.2% for more than 2 cans each day.

The risk of becoming overweight or obese for diet soft-drink drinkers:

36.5% for up to 1/2 can each day
37.5% for 1/2 to one can each day
54.5% for 1 to 2 cans each day
57.1% for more than 2 cans each day.

For diet soda consumers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese increased by 41% for each can of diet soda consumed in a day. With that said, there is a saying among statisticians that goes like this: "Correlation does not mean causation."

What this means is that simply finding a statistically significant correlation between A and B does not mean that A causes B. It could very well be that similar lifestyle choices or decision-making patterns among diet soda consumers are creating similar weight-gain circumstances.

If you are old enough to recall the late '80's or early '90's, you may remember when a correlation was discovered between oat bran consumption and lower cholesterol. Once the relationship hit the press, it was several years before it could be reported that consuming oat bran could actually help to lower cholesterol in the blood.

The original assumption was that those consumers who were "likely" to consume foods containing oat bran would also be more likely to live a lifestyle that would result in lower blood cholesterol.

A similar phenomenon could be taking place with the diet soda metric as well -- but then, maybe not. Recalling a scene from Alice In Wonderland where Alice is offered tea and then offended because she is given none, Fowler posits that the body may be baited into thinking that a high calorie beverage is being consumed (because of the sweetness of the diet soda) only to find none. In support of this idea, Fowler mentions a recent study in which rats fed artificial sweetener craved calories to a greater degree than their sugar-fed bretheren.

So what is a diet soda drinker to do? Well, the simplest thing to do is to stop drinking diet soda. In fact, stop drinking soda altogether. The next thing to do is to contemplate your lifestyle. Consider your caloric intake and whether you tend to justify consuming things you should leave alone. Are you active enough to burn the calories you consume? Do you tend to purchase and consume "low-calorie" or "diet" foods and beverages?

Research that provides results that cause us to ponder our own lifestyles is invaluable. Creatures of habit, as we are, need to have our world rocked occasionally.

Until more information is available, grab yourself a nice cold glass of water and think about whether you will be one of the 41% in the next seven or eight years.

References: WebMD.com (http://my.webmd.com/content/article/107/108476.htm by Daniel DeNoon, WebMD Medical News)

Michael Callen is the author of the Weekly Weightloss Tips Newsletter (http://www.ccwebgroup.com/tips) and the Chief Technology Officer for http://www.WellnessPartners.com, an online retailer of dozens of health and wellness products such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), and Green Tea Extract.


MORE RESOURCES:

ABC News

Moderate Weight Loss May Be Way to Lower Breast Cancer Risk For Overweight ...
Cancer Network
By Anna Azvolinsky, PhD | May 24, 2012 The first randomized, controlled clinical trial testing the effect of weight loss on sex hormone levels in overweight, postmenopausal women shows a benefit with moderate weight loss. According to the study, ...
Small weight loss effectively reduces sex hormones linked with breast cancerFox News
Weight Loss Could Decrease Estrogen, A Known Risk Factor For Breast Cancer: StudyHuffington Post
Moderate Weight Loss Can Decrease Breast Cancer RiskABC News
BUPA -Christian Post -King of How To News
all 95 news articles »


Weight Loss: Separating Fact from Fiction
Sacramento Bee
The weight loss industry is full of a lot of sound and fury that drowns out proven methods offered by reputable providers. Learn how to block out the noise and lose weight the right way. By Dr. Feiz & Associates LOS ANGELES, May 23, ...



Buddy Dyer talks weight loss on 'Central Florida Spotlight'
Orlando Sentinel
Dyer even discusses his weight loss and physical transformation. The program airs at 12:30 pm Saturday on WFTV and repeats at 4 pm Sunday on sister station WRDQ-Channel 27. ***On WKMG-Channel 6's "Flashpoint," moderator Lauren Rowe asks if the media ...

and more »


Zillow as a weight loss tool? Not exactly, but researcher finds property ...
The Republic
DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP AP SEATTLE — The value of your home may be a stronger predictor of your weight than the genes inherited from your ancestors, a new public health study from the University of Washington has found.

and more »


Weight Loss: Separating Fact from Fiction
MarketWatch (press release)
The weight loss industry is full of a lot of sound and fury that drowns out proven methods offered by reputable providers. Learn how to block out the noise and lose weight the right way. LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- ABC's ...

and more »


Daily Mail

Janet Jackson shows off dramatic weight loss in sexy plunging Pucci gown at ...
Daily Mail
By Amelia Proud She's been a yo-yo dieter all her adult life, but Janet Jackson says she finally has a handle on her ideal weight. And she certainly looks like a woman who is at ease at long last. Last night she arrived at amFAR's Cinema Against AIDS ...
Janet Jackson Rocks The Red Carpet at amfAR Event in CannesMarketWatch (press release)

all 96 news articles »


Extra (blog)

What is Kelly Clarkson's Weight Loss Secret?
Extra (blog)
John Legend tells "Extra," "We are not just judging, we're not just mentoring the artists… so that puts a whole other level of skin in the game for us." Watch the season premiere of "Duets," Thursday at 8PM on ABC. What is Kelly Clarkson's Weight Loss ...
American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson credits boyfriend for dramatic weight lossExaminer.com
Kelly Clarkson Weight Loss: Singer Shows Off Slimmer Figure At 2012 Billboard ...International Business Times
Kelly Clarkson Admits Love Is Behind Weight LossEntertainmentwise
San Francisco Chronicle (blog) -The Gossip Girls
all 256 news articles »


County employees start weight loss competition, shed 113 pounds
Beaumont Enterprise
By Sarah Moore In a 10-week program, Greg Fountain, Nancy Lively and Mike Kirkpatrick lost a total of 113 pounds in a weight loss competition among Jefferson County Courthouse employees. Photo taken Tuesday, May 22, 2012 Guiseppe Barranco/The ...

and more »


San Francisco Chronicle

Janet Jackson discusses stunning weight loss: At my heaviest I was pre-diabetic
Examiner.com
Singer Janet Jackson looks fitter and healthier than ever at 46 after losing a dramatic amount of weight since December 2011, and reveals that her fear of developing diabetes and heart disease fueled her slimdown. "When I gained weight in 2005, ...
Fashion Magazine about Plus-Size and Tall ClothingPlus Size Tall
Nutrisystem Named National Strategic Partner Of The American Diabetes ...MarketWatch (press release)
Nutrisystem Named National Strategic Partner of the American Diabetes AssociationDiets In Review (blog)

all 20 news articles »


New Study in The American Journal Of Medicine Proves Medically Supervised ...
San Francisco Chronicle (press release)
Participants Enrolled In 12-Week Physician-Led Weight Loss Program Lost 28 Pounds on Average Tarrytown, New York (PRWEB) May 23, 2012 A new study of obese people enrolled in a 12-week physician-led weight loss program revealed participants lost an ...

and more »

Google News

home | site map | Home Site
© 2006