Diet Soda Health Risks: Popular Drink Bad For Your Metabolism and Waistline?

It might be time to curb those soda cravings. According to a new report published in the Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism Journal on Wednesday, diet soda drinkers have the same health issues as those who drink regular soda.

Purdue University researchers reviewed a dozen studies on the health effects of drinking diet soda published over the past five years and produced an opinion piece on their findings.

"You've messed up the whole system, so when you consume real sugar, your body doesn't know if it should try to process it because it's been tricked by the fake sugar so many times," said Susan Swithers, a behavioral neuroscientist and professor psychogloical studies and the report's author.

The artificial sweeteners in diet soda and other zero-calorie beverages may be hurting your metabolism. While they may satisfy that sweet tooth, the fake sugar in diet soda is just making your body believe it is getting real food. This then confuses the body, which doesn't know how to respond.

"What happens when you have a sweetener is you get that sweet taste - but calories and sugar don't show up," Swithers said. "Your body says, 'Wait, this isn't what I was expecting to happen," and over time you may not produce those same anticipatory responses."

The report also states diet soda drinkers gain more weight than those who don't drink it. The artificial sweeteners can damage the reward center in your brain, resulting to cravings for more calorie-rich food.

The American Beverage Association pointed to the fact that the report was an opinion piece rather than a scientific study.

"Low-calorie sweeteners are some of the most studied and reviewed ingredients in the food supply today," the association said in a statement. "They are safe and an effective tool in weight loss and weight management, according to decades of scientific research and regulatory agencies around the globe."

An increased risk of diabetes, health disease and stroke are still risks for diet soda drinkers with a health weight, the report said.