For all the dieters out there, there are several studies that posit the question: Does diet soda cause weight gain? The answer to this is a bit complicated, but generally it can be stated that diet soda drinkers may indeed gain weight. This doesn’t mean you can answer the question with an immediate yes, but there is certainly a correlation between consumption of diet drinks and greater risk for obesity.
If you maintain a healthy diet, then drinking diet soda is unlikely to cause you to gain wait. If you use diet drinks to compensate for eating higher calories and unhealthful foods, drinking them might cause you to gain wait. Studies show that people often use the consumption of diet soda to justify eating any other foods, thinking that lack of calories in the soda will make up for excess calorie consumption in other foods.
In fact, studies show all types of diet soda cause weight gain at a higher rate than drinking soda with sugar. But again, "cause" is used loosely here, and must be considered correlation rather than cause. A 2005 study conducted by Sharon Fowler found the following facts to be true. Drinking one half to a can of diet soda daily increased risk for obesity by 37.5%. In contrast, drinking the same amount of regular soda increased risk for obesity by 30%. The greatest difference in numbers was found when people consumed one to two cans of regular or diet soda daily. Those who drank regular soda were about 32.8% more likely to become obese, but those who drank diet soda were about 54.5% more likely to become obese.
Experts believe that it’s not that types of diet soda cause weight gain, but instead that people who drink diet soda may be less likely to pay attention to what else they’re eating. They may even use drinking diet soda as an excuse to consume more calories. Many studies on nutrition suggest that numerous Americans are likely to underestimate their daily calorie consumption significantly.
On the other hand, people who consume lots of sugary soda may, if dieting, find they will lose a little weight if they switch to diet soda. Still, consumption should remain low and people should keep in touch with the other things they’re eating and have a healthy diet and exercise program.