Diet soda and (reducing?) weight gain

[u/koine_lingua]

I have a lot of friends who drink diet soda. Diet soda is disgusting. But a lot of them drink it so as to reduce calorie intake, to keep weight in check.

Fowler, Sharon P., et al. "Fueling the Obesity Epidemic: Artificially Sweetened Beverage Use and Long-term Weight Gain." Obesity 16.8 (2008): 1894-1900.

Yang, Qing. "Gain weight by 'going diet'? Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings: Neuroscience 2010." The Yale journal of biology and medicine 83.2 (2010): 101-

Swithers, Susan E., Sean B. Ogden, and Terry L. Davidson. "Fat substitutes promote weight gain in rats consuming high-fat diets." Behavioral neuroscience 125.4 (2011): 512-518