this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2023
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Study links long-term artificial sweetener intake to increased body fat adipose tissue volume (www.sciencedaily.com)
submitted 1 year ago by bboplifa@lemmy.world to c/science@lemmy.ml
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[–] Spacebar@lemmy.world -3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I wonder if the diet soda studies are related to this?

For instance, diet Coke intake is supposed to correlate with very bad health outcomes.

Edit: downvoted for a question in a Science community? Do better, people.

[–] Mostly_Frogs@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Recent WHO recommendations say that artificial sweeteners are not useful for weight loss, but used in moderation they are not terribly unsafe as far as current studies indicate. All the stuff saying artificial sweeteners are super scary and bad is just that, scare tactics. Or it takes a gigantic amount to be bad for you, but if you replace that amount of artificial sweetener with sugar then the sugar is just as bad or worse. Better just to avoid both.

I try to avoid single studies or articles about anything, but rather look to larger recommendations from WHO or other agencies that are less likely to be influenced by $$$. Looking at a single article or study is basically meaningless. Unless you're Joe Rogan and you're paid to sell everyone a meat eater diet or Dr. Oz with whatever his garbage of the month is.

[–] Duranie@lemmy.film 14 points 1 year ago

Is it the diet Coke or the lifestyle of the person who consumes it in significant quantities?

I've noticed that during healthier times of my life when I'm experience less stress, I have no interest in junk food or soda. When I get stressed and I'm not sleeping as well, I get more cravings and find myself making unhealthier choices for the little satisfying bump a dose of sweet/salty/fatty snack and a caffeinated soda provide. Obviously living a stressful life is unhealthy as a baseline.

[–] UnfortunateBlaster69@feddit.de 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Could it be that people who are already predisposed to getting overweight try to avoid it by diet drinks, but fail because it's genetics and they take more calories on average? Correlation=/=Causation?

[–] fear@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

I mostly agree with your point, just substitute "genetics" for the actual array of reasons why we have an obesity epidemic. Environment, upbringing, emotional state, level of education, financial resources, access to healthy food, sedentary lifestyle, disordered eating habits, trauma, medications, hormonal imbalances, physical and mental health, etc.

It's common sense that people trying to lose weight are more likely to reach for non-caloric products, and with other studies showing that most people who lose weight will gain it back within 5-10 years, it's makes this study's results obvious and proves nothing new unfortunately. Sweeteners very well could be an independent cause of weight gain, but until they account for all of the confounding factors that influence why people gain and lose weight, they won't be able to determine its true role in the matter.