Children and adolescents who drink low- or no-calorie beverages (ones sweetened with sugar substitutes) take in considerably more calories — about 200 more per day — than young people who consume mostly water, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Pediatric Obesity.

“These results challenge the utility of diet or low-calorie sweetened beverages when it comes to cutting calories and weight management,”  “Our findings suggest that water should be recommended as the best choice for kids and teens.”

As background information in the study points out, the use of low-calorie sweeteners in the diets of children and teens has risen by at least 200 percent over the past two decades. Today, 25 percent of young people consume some type of artificially sweetened food product on a given day, including 19 percent who consume an artificially sweetened beverage — a figure that’s up from 6 percent in 2000.

Yet, researchers still don’t know how artificial sweeteners affect the total amount of calories consumed by people, including children — or whether they actually help with weight management.

What the study found

When all the data were analyzed, the researchers found that the young people who were consumers of artificially sweetened beverages and those who were consumers of sugary beverages took in significantly more calories than their peers who were consumers of water — even after adjusting for body weight.

Compared to those in the water group, the children and teens in the sugary-beverage group took in, on average, 312 more calories a day (156 more calories from added sugar), while those in the artificially sweetened-beverage group took in 196 more calories a day (60 more calories from added sugars).

The young people in the study who consumed more than 4 ounces a day of both artificially sweetened and sugary beverages had the highest calorie intake. They took in an average of 450 more calories a day (184 more calories from added sugars) than their peers who were consumers of water.

“The key takeaway from our research is that drinking beverages with low-calorie sweeteners instead of sugar doesn’t necessarily add up to fewer calories in the diet,” Sylvetsky told Consumer Reports reporter Sally Wadyka. “The kids who consumed mostly low-calorie sweetened drinks still had significantly higher calorie and sugars intake than those who predominantly drank water.”

The study wasn’t designed to find out why young people who drink artificially sweetened beverages still consume higher amounts of calories than kids who drink predominantly water. But other research has suggested that artificial sweeteners may stimulate people’s appetites, particularly for sugary foods.

Water is best

The study was observational, so it can only suggest (not prove) a link between the consumption of artificially sweetened beverages and a higher intake of both calories and sugar. Furthermore, the dietary information was collected on a single day — a day that might not accurately reflect each young person’s overall eating habits.

Also, the study only looked at calories consumed by the young people — not at whether those extra calories had affected their health.

Still, the findings are troubling, given that so many parents believe that low- or no-calorie beverages are healthy options for their children (and themselves).

Experts are trying to get another message across to parents. The American Heart Association, for example, recently issued a science advisory “against prolonged consumption of low-calorie sweetened beverages by children.”