Experts reveal new weight-loss trick as diet drinks work as well as water, major trial finds

A new study has found that diet fizzy drinks are just as effective as water when it comes to weight loss.

While GLP-1 drugs have become increasingly popular in recent years for those hoping to shed the pounds, there are also more conventional ways to lose weight.

Having a balanced diet is typically a good start, with health experts often speaking about how drinking water is always a good start.

But what if you could still get your fizzy drink fix without ditching the diet?

Well, according to a new study from the experts over at the University of Liverpool in the UK, diet drinks could just be as effective as drinking water when it comes to shedding the pounds.

The findings, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, involved 493 adults who were either overweight or obese.

Those involved in the study were either obese or overweight (Getty Stock Photo)

Over a 104-week clinical trial, experts concluded that weight loss between those drinking non-sugary drinks and water was nearly identical.

Participants were picked at random to consume either water or commercially available diet beverages with sweeteners on a daily basis.

The average equivalent weight loss from the fizzy drinks was −4.8 kg, compared to −3.7 kg for water, which experts described as a 'nonsignificant difference'.

As a result, sustained weight reduction over two years in both groups were recorded.

Scientists concluded that reductions were recorded for participants who drank both diet drinks and water when it comes to waist and hip circumference.

Furthermore, those involved in the study showed improvements body composition and several metabolic biomarkers.

The experts looked into how diet soft drinks impact weight loss (Getty Stock Photo)

Professor Joanne Harrold, from the University of Liverpool, said: “The University of Liverpool is one of the UK’s leading research-intensive higher education institutions, with a key focus on public health. These latest findings show that concerns about sweeteners disrupting appetite or causing weight gain are not supported when tested in a rigorous, long-term randomised trial. We hope this evidence informs future WHO guidance and public health policy."

While Professor Jason Halford, from the University of Leeds and University of Liverpool, added: “This study provides the long‑term clinical evidence that has been missing from international discussions. For people trying to manage their weight, non‑nutritive sweetened beverages offer an effective alternative to sugar‑sweetened drinks—and perform equivalently to water over two years.”

What was also interesting was the fact experts concluded there was no evidence that fizzy drinks interfere with appetite regulation or cause long-term metabolic harm.