If you’re trying to lose weight, here’s some advice that may be counterintuitive. There’s research showing that switching to diet pop might actually cause the opposite of the desired effect.

Researchers at the University of Texas found that drinking diet soda was associated with an increased waist circumference.

In fact, over the course of the study, people who consumed diet soft drinks experienced a 70 per cent increase in waist circumference compared to those who did not.

This doesn’t necessarily mean cause-and-effect relationship between drinking diet pop and weight gain — just that those who drink diet sodas tend to see increased waist circumference over time. The researchers believe there’s enough evidence to merit drinking something else.

One possible explanation is that some artificial sweeteners commonly found in diet soda are sweeter than sugar, and they may actually make you crave sweeter things. And some people may believe they can eat more because they are taking in fewer calories by drinking diet soda.