MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - It's promoted as diet-friendly and sugar-free. But experts claim that diet pop is anything but good for your health.

The truth behind the caramel-colored, calorie-free beverage is that when it comes to nutrition, it falls flat.

"It's something I just don't think has a place in a diet at any point in time," said Elise Thorp, a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner at Authentic Alternative Health Choice in Willamston, MI.

Despite what experts say, the average American drinks about one diet beverage each day, including this MSU student who says she drinks about 5-7 Diet Cokes a week.

"I get these weird cravings to have a pop," said MSU Junior, Lindsey Ressler.

"I know it's bad for you especially the sugar intake but in my eyes because it has no calories, it's better than a lot of other things like milk, creamer and coffee," she said.

Although there's no sugar, statistics show that drinking diet soda can increase your waistline by 70 percent. That means a size 24 waistline could increase to a size 40.

"There have been studies that people who consume diet soda and other artificial beverages are more likely to be obese and have Type ll Diabetes," Thorp said.

The health risks go on.

"Seizures, headaches, vision problems, to more serious things like Lymphoma and rare types of cancers," Thorp said.

And when it comes to diet soda's ingredients, we'll leave that up to the experts.

"There is Phenylalanine, Aspartic Acid and then there is a Methanol group attached to the Phenylalanine," Thorp said.

These chemicals in artificial sweeteners trigger insulin, which can lead to weight gain and uncontrollable sugar cravings.

That's why this MSU student decided to kick the diet-soda can for good.

"I woke up at 7:00 in the morning and drank my Diet Coke because it was my source of caffeine. I did it for a couple of years and realized how unhealthy it was and that it was time to stop," said MSU Senior, Alyson Kellner.

For seven weeks, Kellner has been diet drink free.

"I just feel a lot better and way more energized than I did drinking Diet Coke," Kellner said.

Although several people are aware of the risks involved in drinking diet pop, HOMTV polled 157 people and asked them whether they thought drinking diet soda was better for their health or worse.

Sixty-five out of 157 answered that diet soda was healthier than regular soda, compared to the 83 who answered that diet soda was worse. Nine people were unsure.