Reading over the methods the CB in this case is the 'regular' soda and is indeed sweetened. The main result for the rats is that the group given degassed CB gai

Reading over the methods the CB in this case is the 'regular' soda and is indeed sweetened. The main result for the rats is that the group given degassed CB gained less weight than the CB with CO2. There is another quote where they look at the reason for the weight gain and argue the following: "The cause of weight increase was probed. Rats, which were given access to RCB or DCB, significantly consumed more food daily, compared to rats which drank water or DgCB (Fig. 2A). This increased food consumption was due to a significant increase in ghrelin levels in the sera of rats on CBs (Fig. 2B). On the other hand, the levels of the satiety hormone, cholecystokinin (CCK), were assessed in these rats as well and the results showed no significant difference among different groups (data not shown)."