If you swap out sugary drinks like soda for diet drinks with artificial sweeteners, studies suggest you might be less likely to get type 2 diabetes, heart disease, or die from heart problems or any cause — but only if the study makes sure people weren’t already sick when they switched drinks.

People who drink diet sodas and other artificially sweetened drinks may be more likely to have a stroke, heart disease, or even die sooner — even if they’re not overweight or don’t smoke.

Drinking more sugary drinks like soda is linked to a higher chance of heart problems, partly because it makes you gain weight, but also because it directly messes with your blood sugar, insulin, fats in your blood, and blood pressure.

If you swap sugary drinks like soda for diet drinks with artificial sweeteners, you might lose weight and reduce fat in your body and liver — especially if you’re overweight or obese.

If you drink one more sugary drink each day, you’re 22% more likely to have a heart attack — so more sugary drinks might mean more heart problems.

People who already have health issues like obesity or diabetes often switch to artificial sweeteners to help manage their condition—so when studies see that sweetener users have worse health, it might not be because the sweeteners caused the problem, but because people with the problem chose the sweeteners.