> The main finding from an admittedly quick look is that drinking artificially sweet soda may encourage people to eat more calories and gain weight. If you're controlling your calorie intake then that's irrelevant.

It's relevant because controlling caloric intake without relying on the bodies natural hunger signals seems to be close to impossible for most people. The alternative is to ignore your gnawing stomach all day and carry a food scale to every meal. Only the most dedicated athletes can sustain a routine like that. Everyone else eats until they are satiated and will gain weight.

There's an obesity epidemic in the US and discounting mounting evidence of a substance modifying our eating habits in a potentially unhealthy way as "unsubstantiated woo" strikes me as counterproductive. We should be taking a very critical look at the American diet as something is wrong.