Artificial sweeteners can make you gain weight Think again if you believe your Diet Coke or low-calorie sweetener help you to lose weight. A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that such sweeteners did not appear to do so. Instead, people who regularly consumed them- for example by drinking one or more artificially-sweetened beverages a day had a higher risk to suffer from health issues like weight gain, obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Although more research is still needed, some scientists speculate that the sweeteners interfere with our microbiome, a collection of gut bacteria that are responsible for the absorption of nutrients. Regularly eating or drinking sweet substitutes may also cause you to crave sugar more often. And the idea that you haven't consumed many calories can lead to more eating during the day Even if the picture is not entirely clear on artificial sweeteners better to be safe than sorry scratch them from your diet and go for fruit to satisfy your sweet craving in a healthy way.