diet drinks???

jack0912

Hi I was wondering what is everyone's opinion on diet drinks such as diet coke Pepsi max etc are they okay or are they a big no no.. I know they say zero calories but I've read they are so bad for us.. do any of you guys still drink them?

kommodevaran

The artificial taste is a bigger concern for me than the potential health risk.

Ewoks1

I'd like clarification of this too. I've heard a lot of bad things about the diet sweeter aspertame and how it can affect your mood. It is a depressant, and since I am emotional eater, when I am depressed I eat more. Not sure if it's a real concern or not.

Laurend224

jack0912 wrote: »

Hi I was wondering what is everyone's opinion on diet drinks such as diet coke Pepsi max etc are they okay or are they a big no no.. I know they say zero calories but I've read they are so bad for us.. do any of you guys still drink them?

I don't drink them because they trigger my migraines, but they are generally regarded as safe.

fizzleh

I drink them because I'm addicted to the fizz (hence my name)

ukaryote

Tough one.

Let's assume a person is not sensitive or allergic to a given sweetener. Do artificial sweeteners lead to undesirable behaviors or metabolic responses?

Articles like this have been circulating - essentially the same article reprinted at many sites. More appearance does not necessarily make it true or false, just shows many sites a lazy and reprint the same info.

If you follow it down to the actual studies, some do and others do not find effects.

My final take is, artificial sweeteners - like mostly everything in moderation - are not evil and do not necessarily cause diabetes. They might cause some people to take up sugary drinks, they might keep others away from lots of sugar. For me to make it easier to lose and maintain the loss, I am trying to train myself away from sweets. Today I happened to slam down a quart of fizzy water with sucralose because I was thirsty after gym and it was there. It did not turn me into a sugar junky. Darn it.

Kennkaru

I find that the occasional diet soda keeps me from indulging in other things, but it really varies from person to person. I've known people who were convinced diet soda gave them more cravings and made them more likely to overeat.

MarziPanda95

I don't like fizzy drinks anyway except when mixed with vodka, but I do get diet coke with vodka rather than ordinary coke, to keep the calories down. When it comes to diet fruit drinks (fruit juice with water and sweetener rather than 100% juice) I'll also get whatever's lower in calories. I'm not worried about sweeteners.

dawn0293

I drink them every single day. They haven't negatively affected my health one bit from what I can tell. I feel better than I have in years!

ethibault1978

I never drank more than 2 a week, now I have one once a month.

MelonFlower

1. Carbonated beverages in general are not good for you. They leach calcium from your bones. Most would agree this is likely not a good thing.
2. Artificial sweeteners have been proven to be more detrimental to your body than regular sugar.

Please read articles below:

Scientific American:
"...exposure to an artificial sweetener may undermine the brain’s ability to track calories and to determine when to stop eating."
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/artificial-sweeteners-confound-the-brain/


National Center for Biotechnology Informtion:
"While people often choose “diet” or “light” products to lose weight, research studies suggest that artificial sweeteners may contribute to weight gain."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/

Madame_Goldbricker

I get through about 4x2Lt of Pepsi Max a week. It hasn't impacted on my weight loss. I have yet to keel over from drinking it. I have no known health concerns. Oh, and at 35yrs yet to have a single tooth cavity. I enjoy it so I drink it.

MarziPanda95

MelonFlower wrote: »

1. Carbonated beverages in general are not good for you. They leach calcium from your bones. Most would agree this is likely not a good thing.
2. Artificial sweeteners have been proven to be more detrimental to your body than regular sugar.

Please read articles below:

Scientific American:
"...exposure to an artificial sweetener may undermine the brain’s ability to track calories and to determine when to stop eating."
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/artificial-sweeteners-confound-the-brain/


National Center for Biotechnology Informtion:
"While people often choose “diet” or “light” products to lose weight, research studies suggest that artificial sweeteners may contribute to weight gain."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/

'Undermine the brain's ability to track calories' uh, no. That's not a problem if you're actually tracking your calories yourself and don't go over. Most of the 'diet drinks are bad!' stuff comes from correlation, rather than actual evidence. People who drink diet drinks are more likely to be overweight. That is not the fault of the drinks. This is because of the kind of person who picks diet drinks - they think they need to lose weight. Of course they often then won't lose weight because they are still eating too much.

970Mikaela1

Two diet mtn Dews every day. Gotta get my sweet fix. And caffeine fix.

jack0912

Thanks everyone.. I love my Pepsi max too.. so.im going to.make.sure I drink way more water and use the Pepsi max as a treat now and then.. I do find that if I really want something sweet to eat having a Pepsi max helps to stay away from the chocolate bar .#constantfight