Some experts say that diet soda actually makes you gain weight. We've all seen images of obese people drinking diet sodas. They are most likely obese because of an unhealthy lifestyle; however, it is possible that diet soda contributes to their obesity.

Many researchers, among those, experts from the University of Texas claim that you can actually gain weight by drinking diet soda because the sweeteners trick your body into thinking it is sugar and trigger insulin which sends your body into fat storage mode.

The researchers conducted an experiment and compared diet soda drinkers with non-soda drinkers. The diet soda drinkers had a 70% greater increase of their waistline than the non-drinkers. Many other research claims also substantiate this experiment.

The same researchers also claimed that there might be a psychological aspect as to why diet soda drinkers gain weight instead of dropping weight. They say it is possible that because they don't drink liquid calories, they believe it is ok to grab that burger or that piece of cake.

According to the University of Iowa, people who consume consume artificial sweeteners found in diet soda tend to suffer from an increased high blood pressure, high cholesterol and excess belly fat.

Do or don't?

In conclusion: it can be seen that diet soda has a bad reputation. It is always good to be vigilant about your health and nutrition and do some fact finding of your own before believing the latest new buzz.

However if you are a heavy diet soda drinker, it might be ideal to cut back and see if it makes you feel any better. There is no need to completely eliminate it from your diet. As with other unhealthy beverages or high-calorie meals, diet soda is best consumed in moderation and no more than a few times a week.