What’s the next Coke?

For the sixth year in a row, total volume of sales for the carbonated soft drinks industry was down in 2010, says Beverage Digest. Fortunately, total moneys made – thanks to higher prices – were up from the previous year. So gloom all around? Not quite. Because Americans are increasingly shifting their preference to diet drinks.

The Coca-Cola Company is still holding on to 42 percent of the domestic market, far outpacing PepsiCo’s 29.3 percent and Dr. Pepper Snapple’s 16.7 percent.

Different artificial sweeteners are used instead of sugar to give diet soda a sweet taste and some are often used simultaneously. Opinion is mixed as to the taste of these beverages.

Despite their popularity, there is still concern among doctors that consumption of diet soda correlates with increased metabolic syndrome. While diet drinks may reduce your calorific intake, some research suggests that artificial sweeteners more than likely increase your cravings for sugar flavoured sweets.

So what’s the alternative?