JAN 23, 2017 1:05 PM PST

Do Diet Sodas Sabotage Your Weight?

WRITTEN BY: Xuan Pham

Hoping to cut out sugar in their diet perhaps to lose weight, many diet-drink lovers may be surprised to find a plethora of articles linking diet drinks to weight gain. But do the artificially-sweetened drinks actually cause weight gain, or is it just a myth?

As it turns out, there is scant evidence that artificial sweeteners directly cause the body to gain more weight. The no-calorie sodas indeed don't contribute additional calories to the body. However, some people think that the diet sodas trick the brain into seeking calorie-laden foods, thereby influencing weight gain indirectly.

The jury is evidently still out on whether diet drinks help or hurt the waistline. To be safe, maybe we should opt to drink more water instead.
About the Author
Doctorate (PhD)
I am a human geneticist, passionate about telling stories to make science more engaging and approachable. Find more of my writing at the Hopkins BioMedical Odyssey blog and at TheGeneTwist.com.
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