Diet sodas are prepared keeping in mind the people who want to lose weight and use less quantity of sugar for their fitness.

Different artificial sweeteners are utilized to enhance flavour of diet soda and some even use sugar with other artificial sweeteners. Different opinions are there with respect to these drinks. The taste of sugar drink is supposed to be the best. Many people say that diet drinks leaves a bad taste in mouth after use. Others feel that diet soda has no bitter aftertaste and that drinks sweetened by high fructose corn syrup an over-sweet aftertaste.

The first known artificial sweeteners were cyclamates. Many had the opinion that these sodas had a better taste than diet sodasthat followed. Around 1970 the FDA freezed cyclamates in the US. Cancer in lab animals was caused by them. Cyclamates are used in some countries especially in diet soda even with that information.

Then American manufacturers began using saccharin. But aftertaste saccharin was believed to have a chemical. Coca-Cola got Tab by implying a small amount of sugar. In1977, the FDA was asked to put a ban on saccharin as a carcinogen but after finishing the studies this ban was removed. This was lifted in 1991, but nearly every diet soda had shifted to using aspartame which is now the most common sweetener.

Two new sweeteners are on the market Splenda and Sunett or Ace K both are used with small amounts of aspartame and other artificial sweeteners instead of using alone. These sodas have come into use by some small drink makers.  Just recently aspartame has started to be believed by consumers to be the causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome type illnesses.

Drinks prepared from artificial sweeteners are like natural sugar in taste.  Critics complained the taste is not better and advise that the long-term risks of using artificial sweeteners are not yet known.

With health concerns of sugar suppliments and extra use of caffeine the effeciency of diet sodas as a weight loss tool has also come under darkness.

Switching to diet soda may cause weight loss to the people who take regular soda in large amount.But animal studies disclosed that artificial sweeteners cause weight gain. The sweetness of the taste hastens an insulin response resulting blood sugar to store in tissues but because blood sugar does not develop with artificial sugars hypoglycemia can emerge and people eat more at the next meal. Increased body weight and fat gain with the increased caloric intake resulted due to the sweeteners. 

So, the jury on how helpful diet soda is to losing weight is still out.