研究：減重時喝無糖飲料和喝水效果差不多
Should people trying to lose weight give up diet soft drinks and drink only water? A two-year study from the United Kingdom suggests it may not make much difference.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool recruited 493 adults who were overweight or obese. All of them joined a weight-loss programme, and they were randomly divided into two groups. One group was asked to drink water every day, while the other drank diet drinks containing artificial sweeteners.
After two years, the diet drink group had lost an average of 4.8 kilograms, compared with 3.7 kilograms in the water group. The difference was too small to be considered significant. Both groups managed to keep the weight off in the second year, even after the support programme ended. Both also reduced their waist size, cut down on sugar and saw improvements in their general health.
The researchers concluded that diet drinks were "essentially as effective as water". They also found no evidence that sweeteners increased appetite.
The findings are likely to spark debate. The World Health Organization currently advises against using sweeteners to control weight. Critics may also point out that the study was funded by the drinks industry, although the researchers insist they worked independently.
想減重的人，是不是應該戒掉無糖汽水、只喝白開水？英國一項為期兩年的研究顯示，這樣做可能沒什麼差別。
利物浦大學的研究人員招募了 493 位過重或肥胖的成年人。所有人都參加了一個減重計畫，並隨機分成兩組：一組每天喝水，另一組喝含人工甜味劑的無糖飲料。
兩年後，喝無糖飲料的那組平均減了 4.8 公斤，喝水的那組平均減了 3.7 公斤。這個差距太小，在統計上不算顯著。第二年減重計畫的支援結束後，兩組人都沒有復胖。兩組的腰圍都變小、糖的攝取量都減少，整體健康狀況也都有改善。
研究人員的結論是，無糖飲料「基本上和水一樣有效」。他們也沒有發現甜味劑會讓人食慾變大。
這個結果可能會引起爭議。世界衛生組織目前不建議用甜味劑來控制體重。也有人可能會指出，這項研究由飲料業者出資，不過研究人員堅持，他們是獨立進行研究的。