Artificial Sweetners-Gum and Diet Pop

dmz1983

Hi All,
What are your experiences with artificial sweeteners? I do not tolerate stevia well as it drops my blood pressure tremendously and causes frequent and urgent urination. I personally dropped all artificial sweeteners for years due to the bad press but I find that it doesn't affect my weight. I actually find that I'll eat less. Instead of dessert I'll have gum. Sometimes in the afternoon a diet pop will help curve my appetite. What have you all experienced? I have also dug into a lot of the research and it actually reassures me that it has been the most studied substance in the food supply and deemed to be safe (not saccharin).

dmz1983

I'm confused. I find LOADS of scientific information that diet pop is safe and nothing conclusive to it damaging gut bacteria etc. I have never experienced weight gain from it. In fact, quite the opposite-I usually loose weight. Don't get me wrong, I realize it is not a health food. I also realize it can be hard on your bones and teeth in excess. But I guess I 'm just wondering if anyone has noticed this as well or if anyone has indeed noticed weight gain etc? I'm looking for personal experiences-not what is preached all over the internet or tv doctors. I'm confused because there is SO MUCH information out there. I'm confused because my own personal experience has been pleasant but I don't want to be sabotaging my health either.

janejellyroll

I've consumed diet soda in a deficit and while maintaining. I would expect to see unexplained weight gain or failure to lose weight if diet soda did cause weight gain, but I've never seen anything like that.

When I stopped drinking diet soda or cut back on diet soda, I also never experienced weight loss.

My takeaway: for me personally, diet soda acts exactly as one would expect a zero calorie substance to act. In the context of counting calories, it doesn't cause weight gain when I consume it and I don't lose weight when I don't have it.

AnvilHead

70+ pounds lost. I drink diet soda on pretty much a daily basis.

A zero calorie drink cannot cause weight gain. It is physically impossible.

Also, let's get this link out there quick before this thread explodes (as every thread ever about diet soda does):
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

I've drank it daily for almost 40 years.

It has never effected my weight.

You can't find a food that hasn't been demonised. Even water and fruit and veg ffs.

fuzzylop72

I agree with @janejellyroll and feel any negative impacts are largely psychological in nature (over consuming due to a feeling of 'doing well' by consuming diet soda instead of regular) which is probably why artificial sweetener convert studies have found them to be useful for energy reduction.

https://examine.com/nutrition/artificial-sweeteners-is-the-evidence-as-sweet-as-these-substitutes/

anecdotally, I go through periods of consuming and not consuming diet softdrinks, and don't notice any difference in weight loss.

janejellyroll

fuzzylop72 wrote: »

I agree with @janejellyroll and feel any negative impacts are largely psychological in nature (over consuming due to a feeling of 'doing well' by consuming diet soda instead of regular) which is probably why artificial sweetener convert studies have found them to be useful for energy reduction.

https://examine.com/nutrition/artificial-sweeteners-is-the-evidence-as-sweet-as-these-substitutes/

anecdotally, I go through periods of consuming and not consuming diet softdrinks, and don't notice any difference in weight loss.

Yes, if you're not paying attention to calories it is very easy to think "Well, I had diet soda so I'm going to have [x]." Replacing a caloric substance with a zero calorie substance is only going to work for weight loss if you don't replace the calories with something else.

glassyo

What? Diet soda doesn't cancel out the calories from the rest of your meal?

terewats

i was a diet coke addict who drank 2-3 two liters a day, noticed it gave me cravings for salty savory foods or sometimes sweets. Started drinking diet coke when I was a teenager and later became obese. Now I stopped and drink just water.

LEdmonds2016

glassyo wrote: »

What? Diet soda doesn't cancel out the calories from the rest of your meal?

If nobody sees you eating the rest of your meal.. then the calories don't count.

LilFoxtrot

Honestly I just think its gross :P but I have seen 'studies' that go in both directions (positive and negative) so I think that's a choice you have to make on your own.

Here's what my aunt's doctor had to say:
My aunt has been drinking diet coke since she was in her 20's (now in her 60's) and has brittle bones that according to her doctor 'look like swiss cheese' and he attributes her decades of drinking diet coke and not much else to *kitten* up her bones. Whether the guy's a crackpot or not is up to you to decide.

Need2Exerc1se

A zero calorie drink could only be an indirect cause of fat gain. Some people claim the sweet taste makes them crave more sweets, which could cause them to overeat, which would cause fat gain. If this is not true for you then don't worry about it.

cs2thecox

Regular consumer with no issues.

I am careful with what I eat though, so not even anecdotal evidence for whether it makes me hungrier or whatever.
My main concern is for my teeth!

cwolfman13

dmz1983 wrote: »

I'm confused. I find LOADS of scientific information that diet pop is safe and nothing conclusive to it damaging gut bacteria etc. I have never experienced weight gain from it. In fact, quite the opposite-I usually loose weight. Don't get me wrong, I realize it is not a health food. I also realize it can be hard on your bones and teeth in excess. But I guess I 'm just wondering if anyone has noticed this as well or if anyone has indeed noticed weight gain etc? I'm looking for personal experiences-not what is preached all over the internet or tv doctors. I'm confused because there is SO MUCH information out there. I'm confused because my own personal experience has been pleasant but I don't want to be sabotaging my health either.

You can't gain weight with zero calories...if people who drink diet soft drinks are gaining weight, it is not the result of the beverage...it is because they are consuming an excess of calories elsewhere.

callsitlikeiseeit

ive lost 100 pounds and drink diet coke every day

ckdprevent

Diet soda does not cause weight gain. What the studies show is that alot of times overweight people drink diet soda thinking they are doing helpful things when they order the big mac with fries. In that case it is not cause weight gain. I drink Diet Soda - it keeps me from getting hungry and I like it better than water all day. I must limit it due to my kidneys. Please be careful where you get medical and food information.

dmz1983

Hi All,
What are your experiences with artificial sweeteners? I do not tolerate stevia well as it drops my blood pressure tremendously and causes frequent and urgent urination. I personally dropped all artificial sweeteners for years due to the bad press but I find that it doesn't affect my weight. I actually find that I'll eat less. Instead of dessert I'll have gum. Sometimes in the afternoon a diet pop will help curve my appetite. What have you all experienced? I have also dug into a lot of the research and it actually reassures me that it has been the most studied substance in the food supply and deemed to be safe (not saccharin).

malibu927

Ive has no problems drinking diet soda every day (one in the morning as I don’t do coffee or tea, one at dinner).

And before people attempt to refute your research, here’s an excellent thread that does go along with what you’ve found: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary

Sparkeysworld

Stevia - Drops your blood pressure or blood glucose?
Just wondered as Stevia doesn't issue any glycemic response.

Artificial sweeteners can cause you to go to the bathroom more often. They may cause the muscles in your bladder to become hyperactive – forcing you to urinate more frequently. Even one packet might be enough to cause you to urinate more frequently than normal. This can eventually wear out the bladder, increasing your risk for urinary tract infections and urge incontinence.

Tacklewasher

malibu927 wrote: »

Ive has no problems drinking diet soda every day (one in the morning as I don’t do coffee or tea, one at dinner).

And before people attempt to refute your research, here’s an excellent thread that does go along with what you’ve found: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary

^^This

Seffell

Only very positive experiences. I use a lot of aspartame daily for many things.

Sparkeysworld

Drops your blood pressure or blood glucose?
Just wondering because stevia doesn't issue any glycemic response.
Artificial sweeteners can cause some people to go to the bathroom more often.
They may cause the muscles in your bladder to become hyperactive – forcing you to urinate more frequently.
Even one packet might be enough to cause you to urinate more frequently than normal.
I personally use it and have no side effects.

ITUSGirl51

I drink a can of Dr Pepper 10 for lunch and put sweet and low in my coffee every day. Saccharin is safe. The “can cause cancer “ label has been removed. I also chew a couple of pieces of sugar free gum in the evenings if I’m feeling snacky. It works well for me. No cravings or extra hunger is caused by doing this.

When the reports came out that artificial sweetners made you eat more and were worse than sugar, we started drinking real soda and sugar gum. What a mistake. Extra calories put on the weight.

JaxxieKat

I keep a case of Diet Pepsi in my office. I drink 2 a day and occasionally use sugar-free water flavoring drops to keep things interesting. I rarely drink soda in the evening, because I go to bed early and find the caffeine keeps me up.

dmz1983

Stevia drops my blood pressure. My pressure runs low naturally. It is also a diuretic. I know all artificial sweetners can have that effect with urination but it's profound with Stevia. My husband can use it with no problems. Although aspartame or splenda will cause me to urinate more frequently, its not near the effect of Stevia.

Lounmoun

I noticed that every time I had artificial sweeteners a migraine followed so I try to avoid them. I don't have any other reason.
I mostly drink unsweetened drinks. I don't eat a lot of packaged sweets and use regular sugar or honey in my home to sweeten things.

positivepowers

Stevia has a horrible bitter aftertaste I can't stand. I use Splenda and aspartame on a regular (several times a day) basis. I have T2DM and neither one affects my blood sugar in any way (I don't know what it does to my blood pressure, though.) And I lost 8 lbs in March, even though my MFP account is set to 0.5 lbs/week.

Since everyone's body tolerates different things differently, try other sweeteners for a while, weed out the sweeteners you can't tolerate.

LifeWithPie

dmz1983 wrote: »

Hi All,
What are your experiences with artificial sweeteners? I do not tolerate stevia well as it drops my blood pressure tremendously and causes frequent and urgent urination. I personally dropped all artificial sweeteners for years due to the bad press but I find that it doesn't affect my weight. I actually find that I'll eat less.Instead of dessert I'll have gum.Sometimes in the afternoon a diet pop will help curve my appetite. What have you all experienced? I have also dug into a lot of the research and it actually reassures me that it has been the most studied substance in the food supply and deemed to be safe (not saccharin).

This might be the saddest thing I've ever read.

kazane1

Water is the only drink our body NEEDS, everything else is just preference the sooner you tune into that the better. Sweeteners.. sugars.. it’s all refined rubbish in my opinion.. water FTW!

AnvilHead

kazane1 wrote: »

Water is the only drink our body NEEDS, everything else is just preference the sooner you tune into that the better. Sweeteners.. sugars.. it’s all refined rubbish in my opinion.. water FTW!

You do realize that most drinks are somewhere around 99% water, right? Soda, tea, coffee, etc. Even milk (which has lots of vital nutrients in it) is somewhere around 90% water.

kazane1

AnvilHead wrote: »

kazane1 wrote: »

Water is the only drink our body NEEDS, everything else is just preference the sooner you tune into that the better. Sweeteners.. sugars.. it’s all refined rubbish in my opinion.. water FTW!

You do realize that most drinks are somewhere around 99% water, right? Soda, tea, coffee, etc. Even milk (which has lots of vital nutrients in it) is somewhere around 90% water.

Yeah but water is 100% water.. in most cases. So that sounds better to me