Sugary beverages like cola and ginger ale, have been scientifically proven to lead to diseases and conditions such as diabetes, obesity and other metabolic syndromes. Many people now realize how many hidden calories and sugars are in their daily drinks. There are now hundreds of diet beverages on the market since Hyman's No-Cal beverage of 1952.
Health care professionals and nutritionists have recently begun to study the impact diet beverages have on weight loss. They have hypothesized that for maximum weight loss it is better to drink water with their meals than diet soda. One such study published in The Journal of Clinical Nutrition in December 2015, measures weight loss as well as carbohydrate and fat metabolism in obese women who drink diet beverages vs only water during a 24 week weight loss program. Their findings were statistically significant showing that drinking water may lead to more weight loss and a greater improvement in insulin sensitivity, measured by HOMA-IR and 2 hpp glucose concentrations, than may drinking diet beverages after the main meal in overweight and obese female adults. Further studies need to be performed in order to know the exact mechanism of action is that causes these differences in diet beverage drinkers vs. water drinkers.
My best advice would be to stop drinking diet beverages and start enjoying your water. If you are used to having more flavor in your beverages, you can easily add fresh juice from a lemon or lime. There are new devices on the market to help flavor water in a healthy and natural way, these are called infusion water bottles. These handy bottles help infuse the flavor of your favorite fruit into your water. You can add strawberries, blueberries, kiwis you name it! These are designed to give you a healthy alternative to sugary drinks while sipping your weight to weight loss!
One bottle infuser brand is called Define Bottle. This bottle is great for traveling and taking with you on a trip or to work. There is a strainer that keeps the water tasty while keeping fruit pieces away from your mouth. Another great infuser bottle is from a company called Drop Bottle. This bottle not only looks cool it also helps keep your beverages cooler or warmer for longer while also being environmentally friendly. There is no longer an excuse for drinking sugary or diet beverages. Let's rethink our drink!
Cheers to Your Health!