Diet sodas increase waist size dramatically. Image courtesy of baileyraeweaver.
In an attempt to cut back on sugar and calories, many people turn to artificially sweetened diet soda to get their fix. However, two new studies suggest that not only does diet soda fail to help people lose weight, it may in fact contribute to weight gain by raising blood sugar and paving the way for type 2 diabetes.
In the first study, participants in the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging (SALSA) were followed for an average of 9.5 years. Researches tracked height, weight, waist circumference and diet soda intake at several points throughout the study.
People who regularly drank diet soda showed an increase in waist circumference of 70% compared to those who did not drink diet soda. Worse, those who drank the most diet soda (more than two servings per day) showed a staggering 500% increase in waist size compared to non-drinkers.