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Switch Trial Finds Diet Drinks No Better Than Water

By Drooid · Oct 8, 2026, 3:27 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Liverpool Researchers Report Parity

University of Liverpool researchers reported diet-drink drinkers lost similar weight to water drinkers over two years.
The trial enrolled 493 English adults with BMI 27–35 who habitually drank cold beverages.
Participants drank at least two 330-ml servings daily of water or diet drinks while in a weight-management program.
After 104 weeks, average loss was 3.7 kg (water) vs 4.8 kg (diet), a non-significant 1.1-kg difference (90% CI -0.2 to 2.4).

Summary

SWITCH Trial Shows Safety

The SWITCH trial is a two-year randomized controlled study and the longest most comprehensive test of non-sugar sweeteners.
Participants’ sweetener intake remained comfortably below European Food Safety Authority safety limits throughout the trial.
Researchers say the findings should inform upcoming World Health Organization recommendations on non-sugar sweeteners.
No clinically meaningful differences appeared in blood pressure or cholesterol between the diet-drink and water groups.

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Liverpool Researchers Report Parity

University of Liverpool researchers reported diet-drink drinkers lost similar weight to water drinkers over two years.
The trial enrolled 493 English adults with BMI 27–35 who habitually drank cold beverages.
Participants drank at least two 330-ml servings daily of water or diet drinks while in a weight-management program.
After 104 weeks, average loss was 3.7 kg (water) vs 4.8 kg (diet), a non-significant 1.1-kg difference (90% CI -0.2 to 2.4).

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