Diet soda may not be a dieting option after all

A new study reveals that calorie-conscious consumers who go for diet sodas may gain more weight than if they were to consume sugary drinks. The culprit: artificial sweeteners.

Casting doubt on the benefits of low-calorie sweeteners, a Purdue University study released Sunday in the Behavioral Neuroscience journal reported that rats on diets containing the artificial sweetener saccharin gained more weight than rats given sugary food.

The study hints at the idea that artificial sweeteners alter a person's metabolism.

In the Purdue study, the rats whose diets contained artificial sweeteners appeared to experience a physiological connection between sweet tastes and calories, which drove them to overeat. The "mismatch" in caloric number and sweet taste seems to change the brain's chemistry. It seems typically with sweet foods that metabolism revs up.

Diet soft drinks is the second-most-popular low-calorie, sugar-free products in the United States according to a consumer survey from the Calorie Control Council. This recent study would definitely come as a surprie to the 59% of Americans who consume diet soft drinks.

Though further research needs or need to be undertaken, it is advisable for consumers to lessen consumption of artificially sweetened food and beverages. The Purdue study definitely goes beyond the diet soda connection.