Information comes to us from a wide variety of sources. It is often difficult to separate the good information from the bad. That’s why when we at Sip & Savor come across an article that is based on solid science we often like to share it with our readers.

Today, we want to highlight a Huffington Post article written by Registered Dietitian Katherine Brookings. In this article, Brookings dispels the myth that low- and no-calorie beverages cause weight gain.

“A recent human clinical trial published in Obesity found that dieters who enjoyed low- and no-calorie beverages as part of the program lost 13 pounds on average compared to 8.8 pounds lost among dieters restricted to enjoy water only - and the diet beverage group reported feeling less hungry,” she writes. “What's more, another study published in Obesity reported that among successful dieters (those who lost on average, 30 pounds, and kept it off for at least a year), more than half regularly drink diet beverages.”

So in other words, low- and no- calorie sweeteners can be an effective tool for weight loss and weight maintenance. We’ve said it before, the key to maintaining a healthy weight is balance – that is, balancing calories consumed from all that we eat and drink with those we burn through physical activity. And efforts to help educate people about this fact is one way to help improve public health.