Dive Summary:

• More research is supporting evidence that diet drinks made with artificial sweeteners may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• Although some studies support positive outcomes, other studies suggest the opposite, including a San Antonio Heart Study that found a strong link between diet soda and weight gain, and a multi-ethnic study including 5,000 men and women that found diet soda consumption increased the risk of type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
• Explanatory theories suggest that perhaps overweight people are more likely to consume high-calorie foods when their drinks are calorie-free, thus increasing type-2 diabetes risk, or that artificial sweeteners alter natural hormone levels and create "metabolic derangements."

From the article:

... If you listen to my conversation on Here & Now, you'll hear that there are two schools of thought here. Not everyone is convinced that diet soda is so bad.

For instance, a study I reported on last year by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital found that overweight teens did well when they switched from sugar-laden drinks to zero-calorie options such as diet soda.

But it's also hard to ignore the gathering body of evidence that points to potentially bad outcomes associated with a diet soda habit. ...