A new study, funded by the American Beverage Association, shows that diet soda may just help individuals lose more weight than water.

According to the study, published by Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, those who were made to drink diet beverages lost 44% more weight on average compared to those who were made to drink only water.

The researchers tapped on 303 subjects for the study. The participants were then divided to two groups. One group was instructed to consume at least 24 ounces of diet beverages in a day, with no maximum limit. The other group was only allowed water, at least three cups a day and sugar substitutes without artificial sweeteners.

The results show that those who were part of the water group lost an average of 9 pounds in 12 weeks while those who were on a diet beverage diet lost 13 pounds on average. "Additionally, 64 percent of the diet soda drinkers lost a minimum of 5 percent of their body weight, compared with only 43 percent of the people who didn't drink diet soda," reports CBS News.

CNN quotes Dr. Jim Hill from the University of Colorado's Anschutz Health and Wellness Center saying, "It makes sense that it would have been harder for the water group to adhere to the overall diet than the (artificially-sweetened beverage) group."

He added, "The most likely explanation was that having access to drinks with sweet taste helps the (artificially-sweetened beverage) group to adhere better to the behavioral change program."

The new study's findings come as a surprise after previous research slam diet beverages for their negative effects on the body. CBS News notes that in 2012, a study suggested that drinking diet beverages could plump a person's waistline. Another study claims that those who drink two or more diet beverages per day "had a higher risk for heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems," adds CBS News.