The Study
Switching from Sugar- to Artificially-Sweetened Beverages: A 12-Week Trial
This study is like a fair test where people were randomly picked to drink either sugary soda, diet soda, or water for 12 weeks. It shows what happened to their memory and health during that time, but it doesn't prove that one drink caused changes — it just shows what tended to happen.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Scientists gave young adults either soda, diet soda, or water for 12 weeks to see if switching helped their memory, weight, or sugar cravings.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 576 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The changes in sweet preference and body composition were small and only appeared after the study ended, so they may not matter much in daily life.
- 2Memory and weight didn't change.
- 3People who drank water liked super-sweet drinks less.
- 4Those who drank diet soda ended up with slightly more body fat and less muscle than those who drank water — but only after the study ended.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nutrients
Year
2023
Authors
M. Kendig, Julie Y. L. Chow, Sarah I. Martire, K. Rooney, R. Boakes
Related Content
Claims (5)
Switching from sugary drinks to drinks with artificial sweeteners does not change body weight, blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, cholesterol levels, or blood pressure in people who participate in randomized controlled trials.
In young healthy adults, switching from sugary drinks to diet drinks or water for 12 weeks does not change verbal memory, waist-to-height ratio, glucose tolerance, body fat, or impulsivity.
Young healthy adults who switched from sugary drinks to diet drinks for 12 weeks ended up with more body fat and less muscle mass than those who switched to water, even though no differences were seen during the 12 weeks of the switch.
Reducing sugar-sweetened drink consumption for 12 weeks does not change how blood glucose levels respond to a standardized glucose test in healthy young adults.
Replacing sugary drinks with water for 12 weeks reduces how much young healthy adults like very sweet solutions, but replacing them with diet drinks does not.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.