Last weekend, a girlfriend that I've known since college was visiting. As we left the airport, we had to
stop at the grocery for a case of diet soda. On our way to lunch she asked me "Do you think that drinking diet soda makes you fat?"
"Depends on whom you ask," I said. Last year, researchers from the University of Texas Health
Science Center in San Antonio reported that adults who drink diet soda did not lose weight. They were
actually more likely to become overweight than those adults who did not drink soda at all or those that
drink regular soda. In fact, the more diet soda consumed, the more likely someone would become
overweight. To be specific, there was a 41% increase in the risk of being overweight for every can or
bottle of diet soda consumed daily.
In this study, researcher Sharon Fowler followed over 600 normal weight adults ages 25-64 over a
seven to eight year period of time. She has a number of theories as to why weight gain may be a result of
drinking a zero-calorie beverage:
1.Artificial sweeteners may affect your body’s ability to judge how many calories you consume. When no calories are consumed, the body may continue to crave(渴望) what it expected and could lead to
overeating.
2. Some people give up regular sodas to justify their favorite dessert and still take in too many calories. A regular soda contains about 150 calories while your dessert may be double that in calories easily.
3. For others who were gaining weight already, switching to diet soda wasn’t enough to stop the gain.
Since her first piece of research, Fowler has tracked another 2000 people with similar results. Do the
faux sweet products induce people to want more sweets? Fowler suggests that perhaps it’s not the soft
drinks themselves that cause weight gain but that there is some link between diet soda drinking and
overweight.
1. Why do people give up regular soda and take diet one according to Fowler's research?
A. Some want to gain weight.
B. Some want excuses to have dessert.
C. Some mistake diet soda as no-calorie drink.
D. Diet soda can help people lose weight.
2. Which of the following statements is the result of Fowler's research?
A. Diet soda can directly cause people to gain weight.
B. Diet soda increases the risk of becoming overweight.
C. Diet soda actually contains more calories than regular soda.
D. Those who drink diet soda are 41% more likely to become fat.
3. Which can NOT explain the link between diet soda and overweight?
A. People overeat to satisfy the body’s needs for calories that diet soda lacks.
B. People also have foods containing more calories when they choose diet soda.
C.Diet soda has little effect on those who have become overweight already.
D.Diet soda is a sweetener that increases the body’s needs for calories.
4. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Only overweight adults are involved to see if diet soda can help lose weight.
B. The research lasted many years and over 2000 people took part in it.
C. Diet soda has opposite effect on those who take it to lose weight.
D. Sharon Fowler is the first to find drinking diet soda leads to overweight.
5. What does the underlined word "induce" probably mean?
A. cause
B. reduce
C. advise
D. inspire
