Know that old chestnut about the fat guy who orders a triple burger, extra large fries, and an extra-large diet pop? Well, new research suggests that it’s true.
A study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that overweight people who drank diet pop ended up eating more than those who didn’t order a diet pop. The researchers arrived at their findings by examining a population-based study conducted between 1999 and 2010 and the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, an annual survey of 5,000 people from across the US. They found that about 20% of US adults drink diet pop. 11% of people with healthy weight drink it, followed by 19% of overweight adults and 22% obese adults. The overweight diet pop drinkers saw a net increase of eighty-eight kilocalories over those not drinking diet pop, and the obese saw a 194 kilocalorie increase.
Researchers suggest that perhaps the overweight and obese my no longer detect artificial sweeteners as acutely as people with healthy weight. Alternatively, it could be a case of trying to mitigate an unhealthy meal with a silly but “diet” solution.
