Research study examines no-sugar sweetened soft drinks

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have conducted a comprehensive randomised controlled trial on non-nutritive sweetened (NNS) soft drinks. The 104-week clinical trial concluded that NNS beverages (ie, diet beverages) are equivalent to water for long-term weight management.

Professor Jo Harrold, Dean of Psychology at the University of Liverpool alongside Professor Jason Halford, Professor, Biological Psychology & Health Behaviours at the University of Leeds (formerly of the University of Liverpool) conducted the peer-reviewed research funded by the American Beverage Association. The research team said it was independent of the funder and had full control over the analysis and reporting of their findings.

The SWITCH trial was conceived and designed by researchers in the context of the need to reduce sugar in the diet and to address questions about the potential effects on appetite regulation of using sweeteners as a substitute. It followed 493 adults with overweight or obesity through a structured behavioural weight management program. Participants were randomised to consume either water or commercially available diet beverages, daily, with sweeteners provided at levels well within established European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) safety thresholds.

The study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, concluded that NNS beverages — specifically those containing aspartame, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame‑K) and sucralose — are equivalent to water in supporting weight loss and long‑term weight maintenance.

World Health Organization (WHO) guidance recently advised against using non-sugar sweeteners for weight control due to uncertainty in observational studies.

“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.” Harrold said.

This latest published work continues from previously published evidence in the International Journal of Obesity in 2023.

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