My brother (CRNA) actually had a discussion with me about this from the last, if not second to last, episode of The Biggest Loser. The episode showcased pop as a temptation and revealed how much sugar is contained in a regular can of pop. Through our discussion, my brother went on to talk about how they left out the evils behind diet pop, etc. His rationale behind it coincides with the study you had cited. Saying that he believes, through simple science, that your brain gets tricked that it is receiving sugars, though artificial. Because if it artificiality, when it comes time for your body to process sugars metabolically, it finds that it is absent from the body. With that being said, it makes your body crave sugars that it had expected. This, naturally, has the tendency to make people binge--given the fact that they are more apt to have the excuse that they are allowed a treat, given the fact that they had excluded the sugars from their diets, by substituting with artificial sweeteners.
Though your article proves a further point that, rats, an animal that probably does not have the rationale to choose to binge, so to speak, but still has the tendency to gain added weight.
Thank you for the interesting link.
I have given up pop from my diet this lent and will work to have it be a norm in my diet, even after Easter has passed. If I am craving sweets, or something of flavor, I substitute with unsweetened teas or perhaps water with a lemon slice.
