Diet soda poor alternative

Diet soda may not be the relatively healthful alternative to regular soda that many believe it to be, research suggests.

A study, in which researchers at Purdue University used animal test subjects, concluded that diet soda is similar to regular soda in its connection to heart disease, obesity and diabetes, according to USA Today.

Separate studies have linked artificial sweeteners like those found in diet soft drinks to overeating, which Susan Swithers of Purdue’s Ingestive Behavior Research Center suggests is the result of the body expecting calories and sugar to accompany something sweet. When someone drinks a diet soda, those calories aren’t delivered, triggering cravings for sugary food or drinks.

“Are diet sodas worse for you than regular sodas? I think that’s the wrong question,” Swithers said. “It’s, ‘What good are sodas for you in the first place?’”