Diet sodas cause weight gain. I remember an example of a young man aged 20 with a small increase in 160 cm like most college students; he often drank carbonated beverages, especially in cases of strong tension and stress. At the time of graduation he had already scored overweight.

To reduce the weight of the young man was drinking 8 cans of diet soda every day. Two years later, he scored another 13, 5 kg. It was difficult to walk, and it seemed that the thickness of the body is the growth of young people. The young man was drinking soda and eating more than required body. He still drinks, these drinks - he seems addicted to them - and despite all efforts, not losing a single gram.

This paradox of our understanding of the relationship between the sugar substitute, not really affecting the number of calories consumed by us, and weight gain requires some explanation. 

 
In 1850 in America every year consumed 0.4 liters of carbonated drinks per person, while in 1980 their number increased to 174 hp.

Annual Report of manufacturers of soft drinks in 1994 showed that the consumption per person is 185.5 liters per year. Of this amount, 28.2 per cent accounted for by diet sodas. Thus, consumption of diet beverages is starting to fall.

84 per cent of all soft drink consumption falls on the two companies ("Coca-Cola" - 48, 2 percent, and "Pepsi-Cola" - 35, 8 percent). Of these 84 percent are only 5.5 drinks, no caffeine. These figures clearly indicate that the overwhelming number of people consume beverages containing caffeine.

A study conducted on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, found that some students drink 14 cans a day. One girl, two days drank 37 cans. Many admitted that they could no longer live without these drinks. If you deprive people of access to soft drinks, they will develop a withdrawal syndrome (similar to drug addiction). The magazine "Boys Life" held a poll among its readers, found that eight percent drank eight or more cans of fizzy drinks a day. Administrators of a Boy scout rally the day after the event gathered 200 thousand empty cans for recycling. Association of nonalcoholic beverages conducted a survey of U.S. hospitals and found that 85 percent of them include non-alcoholic beverages in your daily diet. Studies have shown that caffeine is addictive. The media, to appease the manufacturers of soft drinks, spending huge sums on advertising, come up with a new name, not too emotional - "caffeine addiction."

If consumption of carbonated drinks is encouraged by society, it is assumed that the artificial beverage can replace the body's need for water. It is assumed - simply because these beverages contain water - that they satisfy the needs of the organism in water. Such an assumption is fundamentally wrong. Increased consumption of caffeinated soft drinks is at the core of many health problems. Mistaken belief that everything can be an adequate substitute for liquid water is the main cause of diseases and ailments that are often associated with being overweight. To understand this, we should remember some simple principles of anatomy and physiology of the brain that regulate the processes of eating and drinking.