[seeken]

Not quite on topic, but back in 2004, I switched from sugar soda to diet soda and lost 40 lbs. I didn't make any other changes at the time, and I did and do continue to drink a lot of soda. So the idea that some people have that diet soda cannot aid in weight loss is silly. Next time you see a fat person at the store with 4 12 packs of sugared Mountain Dew, imagine them 40 lbs lighter with 4 12 packs of diet Dr Pepper. That was me.

[zwieback]

Good for you but the study compares diet soda to water. I personally don't believe the folklore that diet soda makes you crave more sugar but I'm suspicious of the claim it's better than water in aiding weight loss.

[Someone]

Why would anybody think that switching from sugared to artificially sweetened drinks cannot help in weight loss? The question at hand is whether it helps as good as switching to non-sweetened drinks.

[streptomycin]

Why would anybody think that switching from sugared to artificially sweetened drinks cannot help in weight loss?

Because multiple prior studies have shown that. Switch from regular soda to diet soda, and on average you end up eating more calories elsewhere to compensate. Switch from regular soda to water, and that doesn't happen. The human body is really complicated, and diet soda seems to mess with the systems that govern how hungry we feel.