[dvcc]

The article seems to be poorly written. It just appears to say diet sodas do not trigger normal caloric intake responses in the brain but really why would they? The drinks themselves have 0 calories, there is nothing to metabolize.

[johngarrison]

Yes, it is poorly written. But the idea is that you wouldn't properly metabolize whatever you're eating with the drink. Or whatever is floating in your bloodstream when you're drinking.

[dvcc]

The article doesn't seem to indicate that though? It only mentions the brains response to sugary and diet drinks. Any inferred response in how the body performs alongside food seems to be at best a guess (at least from the article itself and not from the paper).