Scientists from the University of Nottingham found that women who replaced an afternoon diet drink with water lost more weight and had better insulin sensitivity.
The research is published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism and was conducted by Ian Macdonald et al.
In the study, the team tested 81 overweight and obese women with type 2 diabetes who were all self-reported habitual consumers of diet drinks.
Scientists asked them either to substitute water for diet drinks, or to continue drinking diet drinks five times a week after their lunch for 24 weeks.
Both groups of women were allowed to drink water at other times but were not allowed to have diet drinks at any other time.
The two groups were also asked not to drink anything while eating their lunch and not to add low-calorie sweeteners to drinks such as tea or coffee.
The team found that women who replaced an afternoon diet drink with water lost more weight and had better insulin sensitivity.
They found that the women drinking water after their main meal at lunchtime over 24 weeks lost on average 1.16 kilograms more than the women who drank diet drinks after their meal.
They also found that the women who drank water achieved a better improvement in insulin sensitivity.
Researchers say that many obese people trying to lose weight believe that low-calorie or diet drinks can help them to lose weight.
This study shows that while they can still lose weight, they may not be losing as much as they would if they drank water in place of diet drinks.
The results also question whether consuming diet drinks is the most effective way for people with diabetes to manage their condition.
Scientists think that by drinking water instead of sweet-tasting diet drinks, the women may be adhering better to the weight loss diet because artificial sweeteners may increase the desire for sweetened and more energy-dense foods.
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