Even fake sweet soda can be bad, according to study

It turns out there's no free lunch -- even if it is sugar free.

That's the conclusion Purdue University researchers reached after reviewing a dozen studies published over the past five years on the relationship between health and consuming diet sodas.

The researchers were shocked to find that diet soda drinkers tend to put on more weight than those who drink real sugar, and even those who maintain a healthy weight still had a significantly increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke, the top three killers in the United States.

Federal officials who are imposing new low-calories standards on the school lunch program may need to rethink their actions -- should diet sodas be banned as well? We wrote about that issue recently here: http://bit.ly/1895ADI

The researchers say the results are counterintuitive -- fake suger fools your body into thinking it is getting real food, but when it's doesn't, it doesn't know how to respond.

"The taste of sweet does cause the release of insulin, which lowers blood sugar, and if carbohydrates are not consumed, it causes a drop in blood sugar, which triggers hunger and cravings for sugar," CNN's diet and fitness expert Dr. Melina Jampolis said.

"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, the report's author and a behavioral neuroscientist and professor of psychological sciences at Purdue.

As could be expected, the American Beverage Association called the report "an opinion piece, not 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."

Whether the study is valid or not, there's something to be said for training ourselves to enjoy moderate amounts of food and drink in a more natural state, whether our weakness is salt, fats or sugar.

All things considered, a frosty glass of unsweetened iced tea or plain old water are looking pretty good right now.