Doctor claims this low calorie drink 'could be better than water' for losing weight
Dr Idrees Mughal, aka Dr Idz, has shared why drinking a low-calorie drink could be better for you than water, as part of a weight loss journey.
A previous study determined that participants who drank a low-calorie non-sugar beverage over 12 months, lost almost three times the amount of weight than those who were just given water.
Explaining the concept behind these results, the TikTok star shared: "That was likely because the people who were consuming water had urges and cravings for other sugary foods.
"So, if you're not getting your urge satisfied by a low-calorie sweet drink, then you're going to look for it elsewhere and where else can you look for it?
"Well, in cookies and biscuits and chocolate in doughnuts, in things that contain lots of calories."
He added: "If you have a sweet tooth, then it actually might be beneficial to consume it, and not to completely avoid it."
Supporting his stance, Dr Idz says living in an environment where it has become easy to gain weight makes it "harder and harder to get a grip on our diet" and therefore stands by his advice.
He added: "If you're a normal person living a normal life in the city, then it might actually be a better thing to consume one of these low-calorie drinks a day if it can help you keep a grasp on the rest of your diet, that's what I'd say.
"So, it's like the lesser of two evils, there's nothing wrong with a sweeter low-calorie beverage but, if it helps you reduce your intake of sugar, then by all means it is going to be a good thing."
Pressed on the dangers of diet drinks, Dr Idz stresses that "you have to be careful about saying diet drinks increase the risk of anything".
As backed by other health officials, he adds that there is so far no convincing evidence to suggest that sweeteners in diet drinks increase the risk of cancer.
"The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives say that an average person who weighs 70 kilograms would need to consume more than 9-14 cans of diet drink a day, every single day, before we need to be worried about an increased risk of cancer from Aspartame."
He added of potential dangers: "If we're consuming fizzy drinks, then yeah, not going above one or two a day is probably wise because of the acidic nature in your mouth, which can damage your teeth long-term.
"But if we're not talking about oral health and we're talking about actual bodily health, then yeah there's no harm with it, I would just recommend using a straw or avoid swirling it in your mouth."
According to the NHS, evidence from short term trials on drinks sweetened with no calorie sweeteners show that when they are consumed instead of sugary drinks, they can support lowering of energy intake and weight gain.
The website adds that there is no evidence sweeteners stimulate appetite in humans. Evidence from longer term observational studies on weight show conflicting results but this type of research is limited and the findings cannot be directly linked to sweetener intake.
Dr. Idrees Mughal is a UK-trained medical doctor with a master’s degree in nutritional research and board certification in lifestyle medicine. You can keep up with his health advice and myth-busting on TikTok (@dr_idz) and Instagram (@dr_idz).