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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →If a sugary drink is part of your routine, replacing it with water, an unsweetened drink, or a diet drink is the choice most relevant to weight management. Trials support a modest benefit from replacing sugary drinks with non-caloric options, but they do not establish one best beverage for everyone. Choose an option you can stick with—and focus on what it replaces, not on adding a diet drink on top of your usual intake.
Start with what your drink replaces
The evidence is strongest for substitution: randomized trials found lower BMI when people replaced existing sugar-sweetened beverage intake with non-caloric beverages, including artificially sweetened and unsweetened drinks, compared with groups that continued sugar-sweetened drinks. This does not show that adding a diet drink without reducing sugary drinks or other calories will lead to weight loss.
A 2023 systematic review of six randomized trials involving 1,729 participants found a mean BMI reduction of 0.31 kg/m² compared with sugar-sweetened beverage groups while the interventions were in place. The effect was modest, and one study found weight-related measures moving back toward baseline after the intervention ended. Read the review in Obesity Reviews.
How the drink options compare
| Choice | What the evidence supports | Practical fit |
|---|---|---|
| Water | A non-caloric replacement for sugary drinks. In one 12-week behavioral weight-management program, water and non-nutritive-sweetened beverages led to equivalent weight loss. | A straightforward default if you like it. |
| Diet drinks with non-sugar sweeteners | Can serve as a replacement for sugary drinks. One longer-term program found a small statistical advantage over water, which its authors judged not clinically significant. | May suit your preferences or help you transition away from sugary drinks; 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 evidence. The cited evidence does not rank specific drinks against one another. | Unsweetened tea, coffee, or flavored water can be options if you enjoy them; keep them unsweetened to match the evidence category. |
What the water-versus-diet-drink trials found
At 12 weeks: equivalent weight change
A randomized trial published in 2023 followed 493 adults with BMI 27–35 who regularly drank cold beverages and took part in a behavioral weight-management program. Participants assigned to water lost 5.6 kg on average, compared with 5.8 kg in the non-nutritive-sweetened beverage group; the authors reported equivalent weight change. See the 12-week trial report.
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At 52 weeks: a statistical difference the authors considered small in practical terms
A separate report from the program found 6.1 kg of maintained weight loss in the water group and 7.5 kg in the non-nutritive-sweetened beverage group at 52 weeks. Although the difference was statistically significant, the authors judged it not clinically significant. These findings apply to the trial participants and program, not necessarily to everyone. See the 52-week report.
How to interpret WHO’s advice on sweeteners
In 2023, the World Health Organization conditionally recommended against using non-sugar sweeteners to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases. WHO notes that the recommendation is conditional and has scope limitations; it does not apply to people with pre-existing diabetes. The guidance is about using these sweeteners for weight control, not a toxicological safety assessment, and it does not replace intake guidance from food-safety authorities. WHO also cautions that observational associations can be affected by confounding, so they should not be read as proof that sweeteners cause disease. Read WHO’s guideline and its scope.
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WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety Francesco Branca explained the recommendation this way: “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.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose an option you can maintain
The trials support replacing sugary drinks with non-caloric alternatives; they do not establish that unsweetened tea, coffee, or flavored water is better than another unsweetened option. As a practical inference from that evidence, choose the drink you can maintain without adding sugar or substantial calories. If water works for you, use it. If a diet drink helps you replace a sugary one, that is a different choice from drinking it in addition to your usual intake. Unsweetened tea bags are one optional way to prepare an unsweetened drink, but the evidence does not show that tea itself or any particular product causes weight loss.
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