Ah, the law of unintended consequences! A new 8 year study has noted a correlation between diet soft drinks and obesity. No surprise there, but a theory suggests the body may crave additional calories after ingesting a substance it perceives to be sweet. Leslie Bonci, sports nutritionist, states in a Fox News article:
"People think they can just fool the body. But maybe the body isn't fooled," she says. "If you are not giving your body those calories you promised it, maybe your body will retaliate by wanting more calories. Some soft drink studies do suggest that diet drinks stimulate appetite."
The article also points out there is no direct link between diet drinks and obesity and there are other issues involved.
Personally, I don't drink diet drinks because I don't like the taste and I have a real aversion to 'space age polymers' in what I eat anyway. To me, these studies leave a lot to be desired and this one reminds me of the debate on whether red wine is good for you. Is it something in red wine (it's pretty well accepted now that there is) or is the fact that you're taking an hour or so to relax that does you the most good? Moderate wine drinkers tend to be higher wage earners that presumably have access to better health care, too, if they take advantage of it. Could that contribute as well? Okay, I digress...
Lots of good stuff in the article, take a minute to check it out if you're so inclined.
