Are Diet Sodas Good for You?
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Diet Soda and Weight Gain
It doesn't matter if you call carbonated drinks sodas, colas, pop or soda pop. Both sugared and no calorie drinks don't appear to be good for you. Let's take a look at why they aren't. We've all heard that sugared sodas are causing our children to be overweight, but it turns out even diet carbonated drinks aren't good for you.
It seems like diet drinks should be good since they help with weight loss, but lets take a look at the sweeteners used in them. That is where most of the problems are caused.
New studies have shown that diet sodas don't lower your waist size nor your blood sugar levels. Researchers at the Medical School at the University of Texas completed a study and found that those who drink at least two per day are 70% more likely to have at least a 2" increase in waist size. Aspartame is the sweetener usually used in these drinks.
But others say the study may not be completely accurate, because many of the people that drink them are already overweight. These people may already be prone to weight gain or have other poor eating habits. So it is still up in the air if these drinks cause stomach fat.
Diet Drinks and Diabetes
In the same University of Texas tests, it also showed that diet pop may also cause blood sugar to rise. Experiments completed on mice showed that when aspartame and corn oil were added to their diets they had an increase in blood sugar levels. This can be a problem for diabetics and could cause prediabetes in other people that drink diet soda.
A theory of some scientist is that possibly aspartame triggers the center in your brain that makes you feel hungry. This would cause weight gain and eating more would cause blood sugar to rise. Both will cause blood sugar levels to rise.
Diet Soda, Heart Disease, Stroke, and other Health Problems
In 2010, studies were completed at the University of Miami and found that diet soda increased the risk of stroke and heart attack. Since most people using these drinks are already at high risk either because they are overweight or diabetic is still questionable.
Diet sodas are acidic and can also cause digestive problems for some people, the same as regular soda. It is better for the teeth than sugared sodas, but the acid still isn't good. These drinks also contain questionable chemicals that may also cause many other problems.
At this point it might be a good idea to limit these drinks. You could try using iced tea with no sweetener or try using stevia (which still is being tested) or drink more water.
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Jan, I've heard that sugared sodas also have a chemical that actually can change some of our DNA. I checked Mt Dew when I heard it and sure enough it had the chemical in it. Our food supply is getting dangerous.
I think iced tea is a good idea. Thanks for commenting.
I just heard on some "Talk Show" that one could actually GAIN weight by drinking Diet Soda...I have an occasional "Diet Soda" if we're eating out or doing take out. Now we Drink "Cold Filtered Water" from our Refrigerator with Lemon. Very Good and Informative Hub, Barbara. Thank You!
Great info! I know folks who truly over-indulge on sodas . . . and they think because they are sugar-free, they are OK. Not so. I will tell you, when my kiddos were younger and seeing a pediatric dentist, he suggested they chew sugar-free gum (instead of the real thing). So, first time at the store after their appointment -- well, Dr V said we could chew gum, but I said no!
You have hit the bail on the head Barbara. I have never trusted aspartame, I prefer splenda and equal, however I don't use them, I just reduce my sugar intake.
bMalin, Sally and Cradisa, Thanks for commenting.
bMalin, Ice cold water with lemon sounds really good right now.
Sally, Yes, I know people who overindulge in soda too. My son and his girlfriend came home just after I wrote this hub with 4 cases of the stuff. I told them all the info too.
Cardisa, Even though I am pre-diabetic I don't use the sugar substitutes either. Anything made with chemicals just can't be good. I have been using stevia though since it is a herb.
This is awful news for me Barbara! I'm addicted to Diet Coke. I'll have to find another way to satisfy my caffeine addiction.
Very useful, you might have helped prevent me have health problems!
cydro, I'm happy to have helped you. I think one once in awhile isn't going to hurt though.
Excellent and informative hub. There is nothing better than a nice drink of purified water. Take care.
Thanks Memories. You take care too.
Another very useful and informative hub with healthy advice. everything you say makes perfect sense but the problem with perfect sense is that we are not governed by it. The power behind all of our thoughts and actions is the subconscious so regardless of what we know it is how we feel that dictates what we do.
Spirit Whisperer, Diet Cola isn't one of my problems, but I have another bad habit and I think you are right. Battling the subconscious is the real problem.
The problem can be eliminated when you learn to enlist the power of the subconscious rather than battling with it. battling the subconscious is like standing in front of a freight train hoping to stop it. Why not jump aboard and steer the train to the destination you choose? You are a wonderful writer and I really appreciate you writing about such relevant issues in such an honest way.
Spirit Whisper, Thanks. I will have to look more into this idea.
Hi, all the hidden ingredients in so called diet drinks or foods are sometimes so much more dangerous than the ordinary ones. Aspartame is supposed to be very dangerous, and yet they say sugar is bad for you! thanks for the info, bookmarked cheers nell
Nell Rose, Thanks for the visit. Even water is full of chemicals in some places. Sometimes it feels like we don't have a chance, but diet pop is a no-no. Regular soda isn't good for you either though. Look at a bottle and the ingredients.
I had 2 heart attacks when I was 38. I wasn't heavy but I did drink Pepsi and the doctor told me I needed to get on diet drink to keep my weight from going up. So I did change hated the taste of diet coke. I got over it I now drink 2 52oz. diet cokes a day. Bad habit and I know I need to stop but it's hard. I have always known about the bad reports on diet drinks but it doesn't stop me.
Good Hub.
moonlake, Thanks. That is a lot of Diet Coke to drink. My husband drank excess quantities of Pepsi for years and he started to have panic attacks. It turned out all the caffeine from the Pepsi was causing them. I'm sure Coke can do the same thing.
Best wishes on breaking the habit. (PS I have habits of my own I need to break.)
Barbara Kay - Thanks for the informative hub that you presented in an easy-to-read style. Interestingly I wrote 2 hubs last week that address health issues. The first is related to aspartame, often found in diet sodas. The health aspect I addressed was regarding depression. http://hubpages.com/t/27b5e5 . The second hub was about the health benefits of drinking water and weight loss: http://hubpages.com/t/27b10e . I think when you take our 3 hubs in totality one could probably conclude that water is a healthy alternative to diet soda. You earned my "vote up."
The hubs do fit right together. I'll have to add them to this hub. Thanks for commenting.
I have added this article to my Depression & Aspartame hub. My interest on the relationship between aspartame and blood sugar has definitely been piqued.
ktrapp, I've added your link about depression and aspartame also. Thanks.
Nice article Barbara. Artificial sweeteners are a scary trend, growing faster by the day. I refuse to use them. I'd rather have a little sugar. Everything in moderation, I suppose...
JanuaryFry, Thanks for commenting. Diabetics think these sweeteners are a God send, but they may just be getting something worse from them.
Informative hub! Artificial sweeteners are taboo!!! Since I've cut back I can REALLY taste the fake stuff now and it's just nasty. It's real sugar or nothing for me! Most of the time :)
I have always known the dangers of diet soda. Sadly my friends and family just think I'm too careful, but this post proves my point. Thank you for setting the record straight!
On a funnier note: I have family members that are from South Africa and over there they call sodas, cool drinks. Kinda weird :)
Sunshine625, I hate the taste of the sweeteners too. I try to stay away from sugar too, but it can be hard. Thanks for commenting.
applecsmith, I have family members that drink the diet sodas too and I keep telling them the dangers, but they don't listen.
It is funny how everyone calls sodas something different. Where I live they call them pop. My parent's generation they called everything Coke whether it was or not. I haven't heard of cool drinks before though.
Thanks for visiting the hub.
Thanks, Barbara Kay, for this hub. I'm addicted to Coke Zero and I've tried to quit several times with no luck. I always try to read negative things about diet soda to scare me into quitting. This helped! Voted up and useful.
ExoticHippieQueen, I'm happy I could help. Good luck in quitting. Thanks for commenting.
Thank you for an informative and interesting ub.
NO soda is good for you!
Kimberly, I agree with you. There are chemicals in regular sodas too.
Thank you is informative kind of bummed out because I am a diet coke fanatic but well written and useful
Thank you Barbara for such an informative hub.
chuckandus6 and jean2011, Thanks both of you for stopping by.
I don't drink soda at all but my mother drinks like a 2 liter of diet coke a day. I will be passing this information on to her. TY for the insight.
DRG, Thanks for commenting. If your mother is like my family, she won't listen. I guess it is the caffeine addiction that makes it so hard for them.
As a psychologist I am always wary of "studies show" simply because they only show one particular group...I appreciate you objective commentary, offering study outcomes but also commenting on potential bias that is a factor.
I have been reading up on the diet soda conundrum and agree that limiting is a good way to go. I find I appreciate it all the more when I do limit my intake. But I'm not yet willing to sacrifice completely... :) Thanks
lael8, I agree that drinking it in moderation is the way to go if you don't want to give it up completely. Thanks for commenting.
JanThinks 10 months ago
When I was pregnant, my OB told me not to use any artificial sweetners for any reason because there was no conclusive tests that any of them would not cause problems with a developing fetus. He said to drink iced tea with one teaspoon of sugar and take a 5 minute brisk walk to work off the 16 extra calories. I haven't used them since.