They go great with pizza, and are less harmful than, say, beer. :-)
If you are reasonably healthy but never consume anything with poor nutritional value, just because it tastes good, you are an outlier.
It is true though, a lot of people drink diet drinks to avoid the calories in regular soda, but get the boost from the caffeine.
Did the study analyze cognitive ability if you can’t stay alert / awake?
If you doze off while driving and die hitting, say, a tree, that DEFINITELY reduces your cognitive ability. I’ll bet the study didn’t cover that.
As Rush once noted, thinking burns a lot of energy, and I don’t just mean things like deep political or social analysis. Modern life puts very complex and extensive demands, many we were not really designed for, on the ol’ grey CPU between our ears. So, people scrapping just to get by, compensate as they can.
I didn’t say I never drink Diet Coke
The headline refers to a daily use