Beverage makers advertise that diet soft drinks help customers control their calorie consumption. However, a study suggests that such beverages may not be an appropriate solution.

Prof. Helen Hazuda of the University of Texas tracked the health and habits of 474 adults for around 10 years and discovered that those who frequently drank diet drinks saw their waists expand 70 percent faster than normal.

His team also reported to a diabetes conference that the waists of people who drank two or more diet drinks everyday expanded at five times the rate of those who didn’t drink such items.

The effects of diet soft drinks are so dramatic that it is strongly recommended for people to start drinking water or even normal sugar drinks as a substitute for diet drinks.

Hazuda and researchers think that artificial sweeteners may distort appetite and leave people craving extra-sweet food. It also may damage brain cells that help people sense when they are full.

By Christopher Kim
Intern Reporter
(chriskim1006@gmail.com)
Edited by Rob York