People who are trying to lose weight may benefit from doing something as simple as replacing soft drinks with diet beverages or water, scientists have found.Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studied 318 overweight people, all of whom were trying to achieve weight loss.
They found that those who swapped to calorie-free drinks were twice as likely to lose at least five per cent of their body weight as those who were not advised to change beverages.
In addition, those who replaced soft drinks with water tended to have lower fasting glucose levels and were better hydrated.
The findings, which are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest that people who are struggling to adhere to diet plans may benefit from changing their drinking habits.
Study author Dr Deborah Tate, associate professor of nutrition and health behaviour at the university's Gillings School of Global Public Health, said: "Substituting non-caloric beverages - whether it's water, diet soft drinks or something else - can be a clear and simple change for people who want to lose or maintain weight.
"If this were done on a large scale, it could significantly reduce the increasing public health problem of obesity."
Health experts advise people to avoid including too many soft and fizzy drinks in their diet plans, as they can be high in added sugars, high in calories and bad for teeth.
