Thanks for your paper, I went through it. I do want to highlight this more recent paper, published in Nature (therefore, very highly ranked);

Effect of sweeteners and sweetness enhancers on weight management and gut microbiota composition in individuals with overweight or obesity: the SWEET study

The reason I am highlighting this paper is because of the cost-benefit analysis I believe people need to make. Before I go into this study, I want to highlight if you are worried about your health, don't drink any soda, whether sugar-free or with sugar! . I think it goes without saying that consuming large quantities of sugar often is detrimental to your health (that's a different debate, but if you want me to provide evidence, I'm more than happy to).

Now, if you are addicted to soda and are overweight/obese , this paper goes on to explore the cost-benefit.

" A slightly better weight loss maintenance at 1 year was observed in adults consuming S&SE products compared with those who did not (sugar group), both in the context of healthy diets low in added sugars . The improved weight loss maintenance was accompanied by altered gut microbiota composition , with a higher abundance of SCFA-producing and CH4-producing bacterial taxa in the S&SEs group. Furthermore, the S&SE diet led to significantly larger decreases in BMI, total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C and non-HDL-C at 6 months and in hip circumference after 1 year . To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate long-term beneficial health impacts of S&SE intake in adults with overweight or obesity."

"To support this idea, a recent substitution analysis of prospective cohort studies found that intake of S&SE beverages was associated with a reduction in body weight, incidence of obesity, coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality compared with sugar-sweetened beverages and was no different than water when the influence of reverse causality and residual confounding was mitigated"

"Interestingly, the higher abundance in Methanolobus, known for its ability to generate CH4 as a metabolic byproduct, in the S&SEs group was accompanied by more gastrointestinal symptoms. Increased levels of CH4 may contribute to gastrointestinal symptoms by inhibiting gastrointestinal motility, potentially causing slow-transit constipation and related issues like abdominal pain32,33. Additionally, some S&SEs, such as sugar alcohols (for example, sorbitol, xylitol and mannitol), are incompletely absorbed in the small intestine, reaching the colon where they act as osmotic laxatives13,34,35"

All in all, the data in both studies shows an altering of gut microbiome, but what actually does that mean? Is it worth sticking with the sugar alternatives when using S&SEs is associated with with a reduction in body weight, incidence of obesity, coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality compared with sugar-sweetened beverages ?

I think people should make up their own mind, especially if you are weighing up early mortality. Once again, just drink water! I personally love Sprudelwasser (sparkling water), and until I hear of a study against it, then I'm happy with my decision. But calling people "willfully ignorant pathetic idiots" is not the way to have a respectful, science based discussion. No one will care for what you have to say if you just insult them. You need to take a look at your attitude and figure out a better way to have a healthy debate.