The same companies that funded the 2014 study have funded another one, but they directly paid the researchers involved.
Some of the researchers were paid around $1,000 each from the ILSI Europe.
The criticism stems from the International Journal of Obesity, which published a review of scientific research on the link between low-energy sweetener consumption and energy intake and body weight.
However, the study does disclose that the International Life Science Institute (Europe) partly funded it. The group has a board of directors who are executives from Nestle, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and Mars.
There are around 18 people on the ILSA Europe board, and three out of five of its officers represent the food industry.
The study was led by Professor Peter Rogers of Bristol University. The study highlighted the benefits of the diet drinks.
Bristol’s findings went against the conclusions of other independent studies, which linked gaining weight to diet drinks.
The findings were based on three studies which compared the water’s weight-reducing effects and diet drinks’ weight reducing effects. Two of those studies found no substantial effects in regards to losing weight. One study, which was funded by the American Beverage Association, found that consumers who drank diet drinks had a better chance of losing weight compared to consumers who drank water.
According to Tech Times, Dr. Aseem Malhotra, National Obesity Forum adviser, said that it was laughable unscientific nonsense to suggest that diet drinks are healthier than drinking water. The doctor added that you can’t allow corporate sponsorship of research if you want good science.
Bristol has stood by their findings, with a spokesperson saying that the study indicates that the findings were examined by other experts. The spokesperson said the study was not only funded by the ILSI Europe, but also the European Union and the National Health Service.
