If Philly Taxes Diet Soda, Will We Get Healthier?

Taxing diet soda, as some Philadelphia City Council members are suggesting,  may well have a sweet pay-off for things like education, libraries and children’s programs.

But is the disincentive to buy those diet drinks likely to be a boost for health?

The answer depends on what study you read. For sure, sugar-containing sodas have few if any friends in  health- and diet-conscious circles. All those calories, all that sugar.

But in recent years, diet soda has also been called into doubt, particularly with regard to obesity and diabetes. Some studies have suggested that people who drink diet sodas make up the calories saved by eating other things, others have found that using artificial sweeteners are linked with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.