More men and women consume diet drinks, according to government
data. Meanwhile, the consumption of sugar in regular soda
dropped. / Mario Tama, Getty Images Diet drink consumption has
increased over the past decade, a trend that reinforces other
research showing intake of calories from sugar in regular soda
has decreased, government statistics out today show. "The data
suggest that diet drinks may have replaced sugar drinks during
this time," says the study's lead author Tala Fakhouri, an
epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. The new diet drink analysis shows that the change in
diet drink consumption occurred for both women (up from 18% in
2000 to 21% in 2010) and men (up from 14% to 19% in the same
period). Still, only about 20% of people in the USA consume diet
drinks on any given day with the majority (80%) not drinking
them, the report finds. Diet drinks included calorie-free and
low-calorie versions of soda, fruit drinks, energy drinks,
sports drinks and carbonated water. D