OBESITY - How diet drinks can make you put ON weight: Downing low calorie fizzy drinks makes people gorge on high-sugar snacks to compensate, scientists say

How diet drinks can make you put ON weight: Downing low calorie fizzy drinks makes people gorge on high-sugar snacks to compensate, scientists say

• Research shows downing diet drinks leads to gorging on sugary snacks 
• Believed that artificial sweeteners fail to suppress sugar cravings 
• This means people chose sugary snacks to compensate, putting on weight
• Study is the latest to link low calorie fizzy drinks to weight gain and obesity 
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By JENNIFER NEWTON FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 10:05 GMT, 6 September 2014 | UPDATED: 17:27 GMT, 6 September 2014

People who sip low calorie fizzy drinks are more likely to reach for high-sugar snacks leading them to put on weight, a new study reveals.

Researchers have found that people who opt for diet drinks are more primed to chose unhealthy foods compared to those who drink sugary drinks.

They believe that this is due to the artificial sweeteners used in the drinks failing to suppress sugar cravings, meaning people look to calorific snacks to gorge on to compensate.

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Researchers have found that people who opt for diet drinks are more primed to chose unhealthy foods compared to those who drink sugary drinks

The three worst drinks for your health

The research was carried out by a team from Texas Christian University, and is the latest to link low calorie drinks to weight gain.

The study, which has been published in the journal Appetite, saw participants randomly given a cup of either a sugar-sweetened drink, an unsweetened drink and a drink containing non-calorific sweeteners.

Researchers then measured which products they chose to eat afterwards and their responses when showed pictured of calorie-laden food.

It then revealed that those drinking the beverages containing the non-calorific sweeteners were influenced by psychological processes to chose sugary products, increasing their calorie intake.

Sarah Hill, associate professor of psychology at Texas Christian University told the Daily Express: 'It seems that drinking a non-caloric drink may prime you to choose unhealthy food items. Those foods are on your mind.'

It comes after a study at the beginning of the year, also linked low-calorie diet drinks to weight gain.

The researchers, at the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, examined national patterns in adult drink consumption and calorie intake.

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Experts believe that people reach for sugary snacks because the artificial sweeteners used in the diet drinks fail to supress sugar cravings

It found that individuals who downed diet drinks typically have a higher BMI (Body Mass Index) and consume more snack food than those who drink sugary beverages.

Earlier research had found that artificial sweeteners, which are present in large quantities in diet soda, are associated with a greater activation of reward centres in the brain.

Experts believe that the brain’s sweet sensors may no longer provide a reliable gauge of energy consumption because the artificial sweetener disrupts appetite control.

As a result, consumption of diet drinks may result in increased food intake overall.

Meanwhile another study from March found that women who drink two diet drinks a day could be 30 per cent more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke later in life.

American researchers from the University of Iowa found that women who drank two or more diet beverages a day were 30 per cent more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke and 50 per cent more at risk of dying from a heart-related problem.

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk