The Effects of Drink Sweetness and Carbonation on Energy Intake and Compensation

Abstract

Abstract Obesity and overweight are among the most serious health problems in the world today. Understanding how we eat and consume energy can help mitigate the risk of obesity. To achieve this, the study asked 370 participants to rate how much M&M’s and Peanuts they would consume after drinking water, sparkling water, Diet Coca-Cola, Red Coca-Cola or nothing at all. This is done to determine if the participants would prefer the sweet drink with the sweet food, or if they would compensate after consuming a drink sweetened with low calorie sweeteners such as Diet Coca-Cola. It is also done to determine if sparkling water is more filling than still water. The results revealed that (1) LC sweetened drinks are less likely to make participants develop a sweet tooth. (2) Participants are less likely to compensate after consuming LC sweetened drink. (3) Sparkling water has a small effect in reducing food intake and no drink with a savoury food is not a pleasant combination for the participants.