Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteIf you currently drink sugary beverages, replacing them with water, diet drinks, or other unsweetened drinks can support modest weight-related benefits while you keep making that substitution. There is no proven best choice for everyone: water and unsweetened drinks avoid added sweetness, while diet drinks may be a useful replacement if they help you leave sugary drinks behind.
Start with what the drink replaces
The evidence is about substitution, not simply adding a diet drink to your usual routine. A 2023 systematic review of six randomized trials involving 1,729 participants found that replacing existing sugar-sweetened beverage intake with non-caloric drinks—including artificially sweetened and unsweetened beverages—reduced BMI by 0.31 kg/m² compared with continuing sugar-sweetened drinks. The reduction was observed while the interventions lasted; one study found a return toward baseline after the intervention ended. Read the systematic review.
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That finding supports cutting sugary drinks, but it does not show that a diet drink causes weight loss when it is added without replacing calories. Nor does it establish that a particular type of water, tea, or coffee is better than another.
How the three choices compare
| Choice | What the evidence says | Practical fit |
|---|---|---|
| Water | It is a non-caloric substitute for sugary drinks. In one 12-week behavioral weight-management program, water and non-nutritive-sweetened beverages produced equivalent weight loss. | A straightforward default if you like it. |
| Diet drinks | They can replace sugar-sweetened drinks. A longer report from one program found a small statistical difference favoring non-nutritive-sweetened beverages, which the authors judged not clinically significant. | May suit you if it makes replacing sugary drinks easier. WHO advises against relying on non-sugar sweeteners as a long-term weight-control strategy. |
| Other unsweetened drinks | Unsweetened beverages were included in the non-caloric replacement category in the systematic review. The evidence does not rank specific drinks for weight loss. | Unsweetened tea, coffee, or flavored water can be options; keep them unsweetened to match the evidence. |
What direct comparisons found
At 12 weeks: water and diet drinks performed similarly
A 2023 trial followed 493 adults with BMI 27–35 who regularly drank cold beverages as part of a behavioral weight-management program. At 12 weeks, participants in the water group lost 5.6 kg, compared with 5.8 kg in the non-nutritive-sweetened beverage group; the trial found their weight change equivalent. See the 12-week trial report.
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At 52 weeks: a statistical difference was not a meaningful universal edge
A separate report from the same program described maintained weight loss of 6.1 kg with water and 7.5 kg with non-nutritive-sweetened beverages at 52 weeks. Although the difference was statistically significant, the authors judged it not clinically significant. These results apply to the trial’s participants and behavioral program, not necessarily to everyone. See the 52-week report.
How to make a practical choice
- Identify the sugary drink you want to replace. The substitution evidence applies when non-caloric drinks take the place of sugar-sweetened beverages.
- Choose a replacement you can stick with. Use water if you prefer it; consider a diet drink if it helps you avoid the sugary option; or choose unsweetened tea, coffee, or flavored water.
- Keep the replacement unsweetened or non-caloric. Adding sugar or substantial calories changes the choice from the kind of replacement evaluated in the cited evidence.
- Reassess if the choice is not sustainable. The evidence does not establish a single winning drink, and the benefit observed in substitution trials depended on maintaining the change.
What WHO’s sweetener guidance does—and does not—mean
WHO’s 2023 guideline conditionally recommends against using non-sugar sweeteners to control body weight or reduce risk of noncommunicable diseases. It is guidance about their use for those purposes, not a toxicological finding that sweeteners are unsafe. WHO notes limits and exclusions, including that the recommendation does not apply to people with pre-existing diabetes; it also does not replace safety assessments or intake guidance from bodies such as JECFA. Read WHO’s guideline.
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In explaining the recommendation, WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety Francesco Branca said: “Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages,” WHO’s announcement and explanation. The recommendation is conditional, and WHO notes that observational evidence may be affected by confounding; it should not be read as proof that sweeteners cause disease.
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