Researchers finally confirm what I’ve been saying forever: large amounts of diet cola are healthy! Well, the study did not go that far, but the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Health and Wellness Center has determined that people attempting a weight loss program might be aided by drinks like Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi.
Dr. Jim Hill and his team designed a program that measured a sample of people throughout a 12-week time period. The individuals who participated in the study were divided into what I call the “not gonna happen” and “thank goodness I’m not in the other group” categories: those not allowed to drink artificially-sweetened beverages and others who were not limited from the sweet, sweet taste of Diet Mt. Dew. It was ultimately discovered that people directed to only consume water experienced a weight loss total that averaged 4 lbs. less than the lucky sampling — 9 lbs. vs. 13 lbs.
The study was funded by the American Beverage Association, and though the results were not surprising to Hill, the long-term possibilities for diet drinks and weight loss still need to be determined. The study did not factor in calorie counts or other similar measures of weight loss success. However, as Hill told Denver’s FOX 31 KDVR, he believes the effectiveness of allowing people to continue to enjoy diet sodas during waist trimming is due to it being “harder for the water group to adhere to the overall diet than the (artificially sweetened beverage) group.” Instead of needing the willpower to watch what you eat and drink, as well as start an exercise program, the diet soda group could focus on fewer life changes (i.e., didn’t have to cut our their favorite drinks) brought about by weight loss.
Now, if we can only convince researchers to confirm my other weight loss suspicion: pizza is the single best food to boost your body’s internal engines. Call me, PizzaHutU!
