Buzzkill of the Year: Diet Soda Is Making Us Fat [POLL]

Yep, We Feel Your Pain

Well, it's official: apparently water and lettuce are the only things we should all be eating. At least, that's how it feels after news that even diet soda, the fake sugary drinks we swapped for the real sugary drinks, is making us all fat.

It all comes down to icky bacteria living in our bellies, apparently. Men's Health, via MSNBC.com, cites a new report that suggests consuming large amounts of fructose, artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols (a low-calorie sweetener often used in foods touted as low-carb) causes the bacteria is our guts to adapt in a bad way.

The result of that adaptation is that this gut flora interferes with the signals sent to our brains to let them know we're full and also messes with our metabolism.

Read: Diet Soda Drinkers May Be At Higher Risk for Stroke

"An evolution of the gut flora to this new sweetener-rich environment has a potential to negatively impact our health," says Amanda Payne, Ph.D., lead author of the report in Obesity Reviews.

Getting more specific with just how our daily Coke Zero fixes are hurting us, the bacteria in our bellies spark by-products called short-chain fatty acids. Those can be good for energy, but in too-high amounts, they not only mess with metabolism and whether or not we feel full from eating, but they can cause inflammation in the lining of the tummy.

This leads to leaky guy syndrome, which is just as gross as it sounds. It's when the bacteria leaks through damaged tissue in the gut and into the blood stream, which leads to major inflammation issues.

And that can lead to increased risk for heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, among many other serious health conditions.

Read: Woman Dies From 2 Gallon A Day Soda Habit

Researchers also say this could explain why studies have shown a link between diet soda and being overweight. One such study showed that people who drank two or more diet sodas per day had five times an increase in waist size, across a 10-year period, versus people who didn't drink diet soda.

Diet soda also tends to make people crave more sugary foods, according to reports.

So, with that disappointing news to start what should apparently become our Coke Zero-free day, tell us: