A new study finds that those who drink diet soda lose more weight then those who only drink water.
CBS reports that a recent study found that those who drink diet beverages lose more weight than those who drink water only.
A 12 week study was conducted with 300 participants. They were separated into two groups, and both followed the same diet and physical activity plan. One group was assigned to drink only diet beverages including diet soda and diet tea, and the other group was assigned water only.
Judith Wylie-Rosett, a professor at the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and the Department of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York, spoke to LiveScience about the study.
"What we don't know from this study is what the overall quality of the diet was," Wylie-Rosett said. "It answers some questions, but raises a bunch of others, in terms of how it may work in terms of diet beverages versus water."
64 percent of the diet beverage group lost 5 percent of their body weight, in which researchers report can decrease risks of heart disease, diabetes, and other health problems. Only 43 percent of the water group lost 5 percent of their body weight.
The diet beverage group also reported that they were feeling hungry less often.
"I was surprised that diet beverages performed better than water," study author John C. Peters, chief strategy officer of the Colorado University Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, told LiveScience. "We are just trying to say, 'Don't worry if you're drinking them while you're trying to lose weight' — it is not ."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1/3 of adults in the United States are obese.
The study published in the journal Obesity, was funded by the American Beverage Association.