The effects of water and non-nutritive sweetened beverages on weight loss during a 12-week weight loss treatment program. The study used an equivalence design with non-nutritive sweetened beverages and water as the main factor. Acute and medium-term intervention studies suggest that non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are beneficial for weight loss. The trial will assess the efficacy of NNS beverages compared to water during a behavioral weight loss and maintenance programme.
Objective
To compare the efficacy of non-nutritive sweetened beverages (NNS) or water for weight loss during a 12-week behavioral weight loss treatment program.
Methods
An equivalence trial design with water or NNS beverages as the main factor in a prospective randomized trial among 303 men and women was employed. All participants participated in a behavioral weight loss treatment program. The results of the weight loss phase (12 weeks) of an ongoing trial (1 year) that is also evaluating the effects of these two treatments on weight loss maintenance were reported
Results
The two treatments were not equivalent with the NNS beverage treatment group losing significantly more weight compared to the water group (5.95 kg versus 4.09 kg; P < 0.0001) after 12 weeks. Participants in the NNS beverage group reported significantly greater reductions in subjective feelings of hunger than those in the water group during 12 weeks.
Conclusion
These results show that water is not superior to NNS beverages for weight lo NNS beverages were superior for weight loss and weight maintenance in a population consisting of regular users of NNS beverages who either maintained or discontinued consumption of these beverages and consumed water during a structured weight loss program. These results suggest that NNS beverages can be an effective tool for weight loss and maintenance within the context of a weight management programs during a comprehensive behavioral weight loss program.