(NAPSI)—Here’s good news for many people who fear they have a slim chance of getting and staying trim: Research by Adam Drewnowski and Colin Rehm at the University of Washington found regular users of low-calorie sweeteners have better diets than nonusers.

Since other research reported an association between low-calorie sweeteners and obesity, Drewnowski and Rehm wanted to know “What came first, the weight gain or the use of low-calorie sweeteners?”

They went back 10 years to see people’s weight histories and their intent, or motivation, to lose weight. They found the use of low-calorie sweeteners was common among people who experienced weight fluctuations and were trying to return to a lower weight. In fact, nearly a third of adults trying to lose or maintain weight used low-calorie sweetened products.

As anyone who’s lost weight knows, it’s easy to regain. When that starts to happen, there’s a tendency to resume the strategies that helped before, such as using low-calorie sweeteners. The low-calorie sweetener is selected after the problem, not the other way around.

This suggests low-calorie sweeteners don’t cause weight gain but are chosen to help reduce it.

Since we now know low-calorie sweeteners are deliberately chosen by individuals as a weight management strategy, as the experts at the Calorie Control Council point out, using low-calorie sweeteners in place of sugar is a simple step anyone can take to help reduce his or her caloric intake as part of a healthy lifestyle.

• Ms. Flipse, MS, MA, RDN, is a registered dietitian and cultural anthropologist. Reach her on Twitter @EverydayRD and check out her blog The Everyday RD.