Dr. Pepper, Coke, and Pepsi have produced diet sodas and as a result, the number of beverage calories is supposed to be decreased. These three companies have been under fire for their contribution to the obesity of Americans and diet beverages are their answer to this.

Americans nowadays are more cautious and count the calories they consume on a daily basis thus the rise in the demand of the diet beverages. According to American Beverage Association spokesman Christopher Gindlesperger, "Full calorie or regularly sweetened beverage consumption is going down and has been going down in the last couple of years. Our companies continue to innovate, to offer options... and consumers are taking advantage of them."

The calories from the beverages come from sugar and the soda makers still need to keep the taste so they substitute it with natural or artificial sweeteners.

However, it has been reported that such sweeteners' impact on the body has not been tested yet and metabolism is the number one factor that needs to be looked at regarding these sweeteners. According to the medical community, they are still in doubt if diet beverages can really help one lose weight.

Studies show that if one consumes three 20-ounce bottles of regular Coke every day then switch to the diet beverage version, one saves him or herself from 720 calories in one day. If this is strictly followed in five days, one will lose one pound or will not gain one pound.

Also, another study from the American Beverage Association found out that dieters who still consumed diet soda were able to lose more weight than those who are on a diet but stopped consuming diet beverages.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one has to cut down sugar consumption and drinking sugarless beverages will help you adhere to the organization's recommendations. WHO said, "There is increasing concern that consumption of free sugars, particularly in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages, may result in ... an increase in total caloric intake, leading to an unhealthy diet, weight gain and increased risk of noncommunicable diseases."

However, using sugar substitutes also have detrimental effects on one's health as it might lead to excessive weight gain, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Basically, consumers have messed up their system so when they consume real sugar, the body is not sure how to process it because of the artificial sugar one has been taking in.