Even if you have existing health issues like diabetes, studies show that drinking diet soda or eating foods with artificial sweeteners doesn’t seem to make your health worse.

When people eat or drink things with low-calorie sweeteners like they normally do, studies show it doesn’t hurt their health.

Using sugar substitutes like stevia or aspartame doesn’t make you more likely to have bad health effects than eating sugar, drinking water, or taking a fake pill—so they’re probably safe if you’re trying to lose weight.

Using sugar-free sweeteners doesn’t make you eat more fat or protein than if you used regular sugar or just drank water—so their main job is just to cut down carbs and calories.

Several official health groups have looked at lots of science studies over and over, and they all agree that artificial sweeteners won’t hurt you if you eat or drink them in normal amounts.

Studies with people who drink diet sodas or eat foods with artificial sweeteners don’t show that these sweeteners change the good bacteria in your gut or how your body handles sugar, as long as you’re eating or drinking them in normal amounts.