Study: People lost more weight drinking diet soda...

kgeyser

Right, this one study (by the American Beverage Association, no less) proves that once and for all.

You do realize that this study is getting published merely for the fact that it's result is controversial, right? There are many other studies that show no correlation whatsoever. And even if they did, correlation=/=causation. Eating ice cream doesn't cause polio: http://theglyptodon.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/polio-caused-by-ice-cream/

Nice try. Enjoy your cancer.

Either post a study linking diet soda consumption to cancer in humans, or knock it off. I'm sorry, but having seen people die of cancer who never did any "bad" things for their health, I just don't find throwing cancer around to be funny.

fatcity66

My wife got sick and almost died drinking Diet Pepsi. Most Diet Sodas have NutraSweet (Aspartame) in them and NutraSweet contains monosodium glutamate (MSG) as one of its ingredients. MSG works directly on your nervous system to make you think something taste better. My wife was an Epileptic and the MSG in the NutraSweet caused her to get very ill and actually may have been part of the reason for her early demise at age 53. NutraSweet is very dangerous and should be banned from the market and all Diet Sodas should be also unless the makers can find a safer sweetener to use in them.

MSG is in a lot of things.

A lot of restaurants and food manufacturers have removed MSG from their products due to consumer demand. Taco Bell for one. Also, most Chinese restaurants. The MSG in snack foods (like Doritos, etc) has been shown to be one of the reasons these foods are so addicting.

fatcity66

Right, this one study (by the American Beverage Association, no less) proves that once and for all.

You do realize that this study is getting published merely for the fact that it's result is controversial, right? There are many other studies that show no correlation whatsoever. And even if they did, correlation=/=causation. Eating ice cream doesn't cause polio: http://theglyptodon.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/polio-caused-by-ice-cream/

Nice try. Enjoy your cancer.

Either post a study linking diet soda consumption to cancer in humans, or knock it off. I'm sorry, but having seen people die of cancer who never did any "bad" things for their health, I just don't find throwing cancer around to be funny.

Who was being funny? It's a very real concern. Studies have shown it to cause cancer in animals. We can't replicate these studies in humans because it wouldn't be ethical. We don't know what causes most cancers in humans.

pander101

So aside from being potent than actual sugar I can't find any of these horrible long term effects people have been talking about. A lot of the articles I have been finding online also have very poor backing. I have been drinking diet soda for years and have been just fine. More then just 1 can a day, more like 20oz to 60oz. It has helped keep me from needlessly snacking. I also drink 40oz to 80oz of water everyday and 4 to 6 cups of tea most days so diet pop isn't my only source of fluid.

If you don't like diet pop, fine. But don't blame weight gain or any problems on it. Just don't drink it.

Fionahatch

Please, quick show of "bumps" if you know anyone who has EVER DIED of aspertame?

Anyone? Anyone know of anyone close to them who has DIED of aspertame?

If you insist...

There is a long long long history of scientific studies (independent from fizzy drinks companies) and all of them point to the same fact, asapartame is BAD for you. I can link many for you but I just picked the first 2 that came up. If you would like more evidence I can provide it.

First paper:

Conducted in humans with a very large sample size, therefore quite accurate. It is independent and contains no affiliations, so you can trust this paper. "Consumption of Aspartame-Containing Beverages and Incidence of Hematopoietic and Brain Malignancies". This paper showed that with increased consumption of aspartame, you have an increased incidence of brain tumors. Yes, you read correctly, you're more likely to get brain cancer. Now I understand that people that drink soda, will tend to be generally less healthy and therefore there are other factors. This is a limiting factor BUT they have accounted for this in their statistics and variables. So in conclusion their data is pretty accurate.

http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/15/9/1654.abstract

Second paper:

Another study in humans but in a different approach. "Adverse reactions to aspartame: Double-blind challenge in patients from a vulnerable population" It used unipolar depressed people, so people that are more susceptible to mood swings. What they showed was so astonishing that the study had to be cut short. By these emotionally unstable people consuming aspartame, the symptoms became so severe the study was stopped. They finish by stating "We conclude that individuals with mood disorders are particularly sensitive to this artificial sweetener and its use in this population should be discouraged.".


So here is my evidence. Aspartame is so bad for you, it increases your life probabilty chance of developing brain cancer (and others) as well as be severely bad for depressed people. You may not be depressed, but this has to make you think, why does a sweetener cause such damage to them. Clearly if its not good for them, it is not good for the rest of the population.

http://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/0006-3223(93)90251-8/abstract

Drink water.

(I'm not new to myfitnesspal but I have only recently started using it consistently. I'm a research doctor in cardiology and would welcome feedback, friend requests and comments).

Lleldiranne

If it's the study that was reported this week in my local news (probably), then keep in mind that both groups already drank diet soda at the start. They were both then asked to start a reduced calorie diet, with self-tracking and self-reporting. One group still had their diet soda, the other was told to stop. At the end, the diet soda group lost more weight.

It wasn't that diet soda was CAUSING people to lose weight. The conjecture is that still being allowed to drink diet soda probably made it easier to adhere to other restrictions of the diet. For example, a participant allowed soda could reach for that when wanting something sweet, while one in the water group might be more likely to have a treat with calories. After all, it's easier to only make a few small changes at a time, so continuing diet soda may help in making other healthy changes.

The study didn't suggest at all that those wanting to lose weight should START drinking diet soda. (Although switching from regular to diet could be beneficial). It just showed that those who drank diet soda before were able to lose more weight when still allowed to drink diet soda. So yeah, it's not the big, bad wolf of weight loss that will stall you out. But it isn't a cure for weight loss struggles, either.

emdeesea

Oh come on. This study was industry-funded. Of COURSE their results came out positive in favor of diet soda. Those results were paid for.

That's just bad science in a nutshell for you.

CharlieOverby

I am 72 years old and eat and drink what ever I want. I just watch calories in calories out. Life is to short to get twisted up about some things. I don't care what you eat or drink, you are not going to get our of this world alive

pander101

Right, this one study (by the American Beverage Association, no less) proves that once and for all.

You do realize that this study is getting published merely for the fact that it's result is controversial, right? There are many other studies that show no correlation whatsoever. And even if they did, correlation=/=causation. Eating ice cream doesn't cause polio: http://theglyptodon.wordpress.com/2012/08/21/polio-caused-by-ice-cream/

Nice try. Enjoy your cancer.

Either post a study linking diet soda consumption to cancer in humans, or knock it off. I'm sorry, but having seen people die of cancer who never did any "bad" things for their health, I just don't find throwing cancer around to be funny.

Who was being funny? It's a very real concern. Studies have shown it to cause cancer in animals. We can't replicate these studies in humans because it wouldn't be ethical. We don't know what causes most cancers in humans.

What study?

symplydevine

You like diet soda and it's helped you lose weight? That's great! Way to go! You don't like diet soda and you choose not to drink it and you have lost weight doing that? That's great! Way to go! =]

geebusuk

Just keep drinking Diet Pepsi for years and years and only you will see the long-term effects of so much Diet Pepsi

Coke zero in my case, 1-post-troll, but yes the long term effects being lower body fat and improved alertness (from the caffene) I have seen and are one of the reasons I drink it - an excellent weight loss tool.

Water kills WAY more people that artificial sweeteners have ever got near.

Personally, I wouldn't question that for SOME people, drinking these may make them eat more calories for various reasons. For those people, it may not be a good thing to have.
For me that thing is cheese - doesn't mean I tell everyone cheese causes cancer (being overweight means chance of cancer higher and me eating cheese makes me overweight because I eat far too many calories when I do - therefore in my study with a sample of one, it's proven that cheese causes cancer!),

DanaDark

Please, quick show of "bumps" if you know anyone who has EVER DIED of aspertame?

Anyone? Anyone know of anyone close to them who has DIED of aspertame?

If you insist...

There is a long long long history of scientific studies (independent from fizzy drinks companies) and all of them point to the same fact, asapartame is BAD for you. I can link many for you but I just picked the first 2 that came up. If you would like more evidence I can provide it.

First paper:

Conducted in humans with a very large sample size, therefore quite accurate. It is independent and contains no affiliations, so you can trust this paper. "Consumption of Aspartame-Containing Beverages and Incidence of Hematopoietic and Brain Malignancies". This paper showed that with increased consumption of aspartame, you have an increased incidence of brain tumors. Yes, you read correctly, you're more likely to get brain cancer. Now I understand that people that drink soda, will tend to be generally less healthy and therefore there are other factors. This is a limiting factor BUT they have accounted for this in their statistics and variables. So in conclusion their data is pretty accurate.

http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/15/9/1654.abstract

Second paper:

Another study in humans but in a different approach. "Adverse reactions to aspartame: Double-blind challenge in patients from a vulnerable population" It used unipolar depressed people, so people that are more susceptible to mood swings. What they showed was so astonishing that the study had to be cut short. By these emotionally unstable people consuming aspartame, the symptoms became so severe the study was stopped. They finish by stating "We conclude that individuals with mood disorders are particularly sensitive to this artificial sweetener and its use in this population should be discouraged.".


So here is my evidence. Aspartame is so bad for you, it increases your life probabilty chance of developing brain cancer (and others) as well as be severely bad for depressed people. You may not be depressed, but this has to make you think, why does a sweetener cause such damage to them. Clearly if its not good for them, it is not good for the rest of the population.

http://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/0006-3223(93)90251-8/abstract

Drink water.

(I'm not new to myfitnesspal but I have only recently started using it consistently. I'm a research doctor in cardiology and would welcome feedback, friend requests and comments).

In your very first link: "Our findings do not support the hypothesis that aspartame increases hematopoietic or brain cancer risk."

So, um, come again?

kgeyser

Please, quick show of "bumps" if you know anyone who has EVER DIED of aspertame?

Anyone? Anyone know of anyone close to them who has DIED of aspertame?

If you insist...

There is a long long long history of scientific studies (independent from fizzy drinks companies) and all of them point to the same fact, asapartame is BAD for you. I can link many for you but I just picked the first 2 that came up. If you would like more evidence I can provide it.

First paper:

Conducted in humans with a very large sample size, therefore quite accurate. It is independent and contains no affiliations, so you can trust this paper. "Consumption of Aspartame-Containing Beverages and Incidence of Hematopoietic and Brain Malignancies". This paper showed that with increased consumption of aspartame, you have an increased incidence of brain tumors. Yes, you read correctly, you're more likely to get brain cancer. Now I understand that people that drink soda, will tend to be generally less healthy and therefore there are other factors. This is a limiting factor BUT they have accounted for this in their statistics and variables. So in conclusion their data is pretty accurate.

http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/15/9/1654.abstract

Second paper:

Another study in humans but in a different approach. "Adverse reactions to aspartame: Double-blind challenge in patients from a vulnerable population" It used unipolar depressed people, so people that are more susceptible to mood swings. What they showed was so astonishing that the study had to be cut short. By these emotionally unstable people consuming aspartame, the symptoms became so severe the study was stopped. They finish by stating "We conclude that individuals with mood disorders are particularly sensitive to this artificial sweetener and its use in this population should be discouraged.".


So here is my evidence. Aspartame is so bad for you, it increases your life probabilty chance of developing brain cancer (and others) as well as be severely bad for depressed people. You may not be depressed, but this has to make you think, why does a sweetener cause such damage to them. Clearly if its not good for them, it is not good for the rest of the population.

http://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/0006-3223(93)90251-8/abstract

Drink water.

(I'm not new to myfitnesspal but I have only recently started using it consistently. I'm a research doctor in cardiology and would welcome feedback, friend requests and comments).

WHAT? From the first study you posted:

Conclusions: Our findings do not support the hypothesis that aspartame increases hematopoietic or brain cancer risk.

281Danielle

I'm not interested enough to read that whole article, but could it be that the people drinking diet soda would normally have been drinking regular soda, and therefore their calories were reduced even more by drinking the diet? I'm not convinced that adding diet soda to my diet will increase my weight loss, which is what the study suggests.

I don't think diet soda is bad for you, in and of itself. Everything in moderation and all. I have a couple diet sodas a month just because I find regular soda too sweet (although my husband says this is because I don't add enough whiskey to it) >.<

^ This, I couldn't have said it better, lol to the not adding enough whiskey.

Aaron_K123

Can't comment until I read the actual study but I am highly skeptical about this. There is nothing in soda that would cause you to lose weight faster if all other things were equal. I suppose the notion would be you are somehow satiated by diet soda but I don't think that is the case either.

Honestly I think touting diet soda as a way to lose fat is about as disengenous as those who decry diet soda as being full of "toxins". I won't say for sure until I look at the study but my guess is their sample size was small and they didn't control for many variables.

brower47

In response to the aspartame comment:

I get headaches if I drink too much aspartame containing drinks. That said, I also get a belly ache when I eat too much of any food and I get quite sick if I drink too much.

I guess moderation can avoid many negative side effects to overindulgence.

rosebette

This study was funded by the American Beverage Association, which includes Coca-Cola, Pepsi, etc. This is not an unbiased source. This is just like pharmaceutical companies sponsoring studies that show their drugs are the most effective. You can choose to drink diet soda if you like, but I have trouble believing that drinking diet soda helps people lose more weight than drinking water.