When you drink diet soda every day, you aren't doing your body any favors — especially those kidneys. Diet soda uses artificial sweeteners, such as saccharin or aspartame, to achieve the same sweet taste. Get in touch with us via our contact form for more information about Food For Fitness and how to get started with a nutrition plan designed for your lifestyle. So, while there are plenty of reasons to avoid diet soda, cancer risk may not be among them. [15] There’s about half the caffeine in Diet Coke versus a … You’ve heard this one before too, haven’t you? No so fast, your dentist won`t be a fan. Many people do not know that both diet and regular sodas can be extremely bad for their bone health. I’m not necessarily a proponent of New Year’s resolutions, especially going into 2021 when your only resolution should be “survive.” But the coming year may be a good time to kick your Diet Coke habit, based on the results of a recent study proclaiming that diet soda is just as bad for you … More people also get eaten by sharks in America, in summer.. One does not cause the other, ice cream does not cause shark attacks, just like Diet Coke doesn’t cause obesity. Frequently drinking diet soda might cause a person to crave more sweets, including both sweet snacks and more soda. Soda manufacturers often claim that diet soda is more healthful than regular soda and that it is an ideal choice for people trying to lose weight. Keep scrolling to see what health experts have to say about whether or not you should pop open that can of diet soda. It isn’t anything mythical or chemical about the diet coke that makes it a good cleaner. This fact, the authors of the study argue, suggests that the soda industry is “manipulating contemporary scientific processes to create controversy and advance their business interests at the expense of the public’s health.”. When you’re searching for a drink with a bit of caffeine to give you a boost for the day, you might be tempted to reach for a diet soda, believing it to be a healthier choice than coffee concoctions or other sugary drinks. Although overweight people may drink more diet drinks, the diet cokes are unlikely to be the cause of the problem. The good news is that the dose is so small that you would never be able to eat enough of them for it to be harmful. Let’s get something straight, weight gain and weight loss is determined by calorie balance (calories in vs calories out): A fundamental principle of nutrition and metabolism is that body weight change is associated with an imbalance between the energy content of food eaten and energy expended by the body to maintain life and to perform physical work” ~ Am J Clin Nutr. So those who drink diet soda seem to alter the brain’s sweet-sensing reward center. Long story short, when it comes to scientific research, it seems that the jury is still out on exactly how bad diet soda is for you. Answer From Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. A drink that contains zero calories cannot cause you to gain weight. The best choice is unsweetened coffee or tea. And it isn’t even related to caffeine! There is no evidence that shows drinking diet drinks will result in fat gain. Back in the 60’s, there was a study that linked aspartame (the sweetener in diet coke) with brain tumours but more recent evidence has proven that this isn’t the case and that there is no link between diet drinks and cancer. [Related: 11 Ridiculous Myths About Fat Loss]. Or, people who regularly drink soda may be more likely to eat certain types of food, which may pose health risks. By swapping soda out for a low sugar alternative, you can not only reduce your sugar intake, but by making the right choices, you can also add many beneficial antioxidants to your diet. So far, so good for the coke zero and diet coke fans. A lot of people equate drinking diet soda to drinking water because they both have zero calories. The other concern with drinking lots of diet soda would be the caffeine. Here’s another example of why dosage is key and just because something “contains chemicals” doesn’t mean it’s automatically unhealthy. Just because something 'contains chemicals' doesn't mean it's automatically unhealthy. For example, if you make good choices about the types of food you eat, the amount of water you drink and how much exercise you get, whether you drink diet soda or how much becomes less relevant. They can then begin to transition to more healthful drinks, such as sparkling water. Researchers do not know exactly why diet sodas may increase the risk of disease. So far, so good for the coke zero and diet coke fans. Some believe that diet sodas might damage blood vessels or cause chronic inflammation. Some studies have actually shown that sweeteners may even improve weight loss and long-term control of body weight. Ever had a sweet tooth? Diet sodas may also undermine health by changing other habits. Despite it being a low or zero calorie beverage, it may still increase the risk of conditions such as diabetes and obesity. What are the benefits of drinking lime water? Whist it is true that aspartame is broken down into methanol (which is then converted into formaldehyde), as well as two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid – it is extremely unlikely to be detrimental to health. If you drink a reasonable amount of diet soda — or as the Mayo Clinic puts it, "a can or two a day" — it's unlikely you'll experience major negative health effects. Sometimes artificially sweetened foods, although unlikely to serve any nutritional benefit can eliminate sugar cravings. Coke zero vs Diet coke: Diet coke, launched in 1983, was the Coca-Cola company’s first sugar-free product. "As Diet Coke has no calories and no recognised ingredients we know it is a cocktail of chemicals that encourage your body to gain and store weight especially on … Drinking a reasonable amount of diet soda a day, such as a can or two, isn't likely to hurt you. 5. However, those studies had received funding from companies in the soda industry. How can this be? Many people choose diet soda so that they can enjoy a sweet and bubbly drink without consuming hundreds of calories or getting a hefty dose of sugar. Enjoying diet soda in moderation is less harmful than drinking it daily. Now some studies have shown that people who are overweight or obese drink more sugar-free drinks than people who are a healthy weight. No, because the dosage is insignificant. So we decided to take this debate to the experts. However, because the study was observational it just looks at associations or links between the participants, rather than directly showing that diet drinks increase heart attacks or strokes. Yes, diet soda has zero calories and is an inexpensive and tasty way to get your caffeine fix. Just because something has chemicals in it does not mean that it is harmful. So far, according to the science, diet cokes aren’t bad for your health. Guess what? Artificially sweetened beverages (or ASBs, as they are called in some studies) are often suggested as alternatives to regular … observational study published in February 2019, evidence, this doesn’t happen in healthy humans, Debunking The 5 Most Common Myths About Meal Timing, The Top 10 Health, Fitness & Nutrition Books Of 2017, 10 Proven Ways To Stop Feeling Hungry All The Time When Dieting, 22 Turkey Mince Recipes You’ve Never Tried Before, 4 Easy-To-Fix Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Weight, 16 Delicious Overnight Oats Recipes For Busy People, It tricks your body and turns on fat-storing-mode, It’s filled with chemicals therefore it’s pretty much poison, Diet coke is the cause of all things evil, should be banned and how dare you, a nutritionist, say that it shouldn’t be outlawed. Do you avoid them for this reason? Similarly, if you’re often dehydrated and you find you can’t keep your fluids topped-up because you find water a tad dull then a slash of no-added sugar squash may make drinks more palatable and as a result, improve your hydration levels. However, few studies have fully controlled for other risk factors that might lead to chronic health issues, such as being overweight or having a sedentary lifestyle. Are diet sodas a safe option with diabetes? This week, we asked dietitians, doctors and epidemiologists: Is diet soda bad for you? If you’re a fizzy juice fiend then switching from three normal cokes to three diet cokes would cut sugar intake by around 90g. The correlation held even after adjusting for family history, age, BMI, and lifestyle factors. At Food For Fitness we’ll show you how you can lose weight without the suffering, punishing fitness regimes or extreme diets! Contrary to popular belief, diet soda (defined as calorie free carbonated beverages sweetened with aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame-potassium, or other non-caloric or minimally caloric sweeteners) doesn't inhibit fat loss, or spike insulin levels. Instead of focusing on the question of whether diet soda is bad for you, consider your overall diet and lifestyle. If the appeal of soda is in its sweetness, a person can try indulging in natural foods instead. What do you think? If weight loss is the goal then swapping from a regular fizzy drink to a diet drink is probably going to be beneficial. ##### Is Diet Soda Bad For You? People who wean themselves off sweetened sodas by drinking diet sodas can significantly reduce their sugar intake. What’s more, people who generally have poor diets may also be more likely to drink diet drinks to offset the high amount of calories consumed by making poor food choices. The air you breathe has chemicals in it, then you use that oxygen and that forms chemicals within you. Diet soda is soda that mimics the taste of traditional soda but provides less or no sugar. For example, a person might be drinking diet soda because they have a high body mass index (BMI) and are trying to lose weight. D iet soda gives you a sugar rush far stronger than the granulated stuff in a sugar bowl ever could–and for no calories. You are more likely to overeat if you consume diet foods more often. Diet Coke is also not bad for your health, if once again it is consumed in moderation. And this is the big question: is it bad or is diet soda actually good for you? However, many contain compounds that have been shown to be toxic to humans. It Affects Your Bones. A 2012 study suggests that diet soda may change how the brain responds to sweet flavors by affecting dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in pleasure, motivation, and reward. Semi-skimmed milk, for example, contains 6-9x more phenylalanine and 13x more aspartic acid than a diet coke. There’s the cat out of the bag already. If you spend any time on the internet at all you will no doubt at some point been told that you shouldn’t drink diet coke because it’s full of chemicals. With almost everything in common, there are just two distinctions between these drinks. However, it may offer some people a way to reduce their consumption of sugary beverages. A growing body of evidence suggests that diet soda consumption correlates with an increased risk of a wide range of medical conditions, notably: Many studies of people who drink soda have been extensive and spanned many years. There are a lot of myths surrounding the drink that are simply just a load of nonsense. But…. Research has linked a wide range of health risks to drinking diet soda. It’s physiologically impossible. 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