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

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! =]

Unknown

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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.

Unknown

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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.

pander101

WHAT? From the first study you posted:

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

This and from the cancer.gov website

Is there an association between artificial sweeteners and cancer?


"Questions about artificial sweeteners and cancer arose when early studies showed that cyclamate in combination with saccharin caused bladder cancer in laboratory animals. However, results from subsequent carcinogenicity studies (studies that examine whether a substance can cause cancer) of these sweeteners have not provided clear evidence of an association with cancer in humans. Similarly, studies of other FDA-approved sweeteners have not demonstrated clear evidence of an association with cancer in humans."

Here's one about aspartame specifically

pander101

WHAT? From the first study you posted:

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

This and from the cancer.gov website

Is there an association between artificial sweeteners and cancer?


"Questions about artificial sweeteners and cancer arose when early studies showed that cyclamate in combination with saccharin caused bladder cancer in laboratory animals. However, results from subsequent carcinogenicity studies (studies that examine whether a substance can cause cancer) of these sweeteners have not provided clear evidence of an association with cancer in humans. Similarly, studies of other FDA-approved sweeteners have not demonstrated clear evidence of an association with

Ktanaqui

and really what is the problem with aspertame?

it is the alcohol from REAL SUGAR

it makes you no sicker than regular sugar

I call bull**** on this because aspartame (and other false sweeteners) make me extremely sick. Aspartame is a created sugar, its not natural. I don't know who or what told you that aspartame is natural, but it is not and never has been. It never will be, either. I'm not diagnosed with PKU, or any difficulty, for that matter, and aspartame still makes me as sick as a dog with parvo.

Diet soda is -not- good for you, as the body cannot actually process those false sugars properly (hence why its safe for diabetics). For those diabetics who do manage to process it a little better, it makes them just as sick as regular sugar would. Think on that, a little bit. It's kind of like feeding dogs lettuce - they can't digest it, so it makes 'em sick. Maybe not immediately, but at some point it will. Aspartame, Sucralose/Splenda, and the others are all bad for you. Some are less than others, but aspartame is the absolute worst.

pander101

Aspartame from cancer.gov websit
Aspartame

Aspartame, distributed under several trade names (e.g., NutraSweet® and Equal®), was approved in 1981 by the FDA after numerous tests showed that it did not cause cancer or other adverse effects in laboratory animals. Questions regarding the safety of aspartame were renewed by a 1996 report suggesting that an increase in the number of people with brain tumors between 1975 and 1992 might be associated with the introduction and use of this sweetener in the United States. However, an analysis of then-current NCI statistics showed that the overall incidence of brain and central nervous system cancers began to rise in 1973, 8 years prior to the approval of aspartame, and continued to rise until 1985. Moreover, increases in overall brain cancer incidence occurred primarily in people age 70 and older, a group that was not exposed to the highest doses of aspartame since its introduction. These data do not establish a clear link between the consumption of aspartame and the development of brain tumors.

In 2005, a laboratory study found more lymphomas and leukemias in rats fed very high doses of aspartame (equivalent to drinking 8 to 2,083 cans of diet soda daily) (1). However, there were some inconsistencies in the findings. For example, the number of cancer cases did not rise with increasing amounts of aspartame as would be expected. An FDA statement on this study can be found at http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2006/ucm108650.htm on the Internet.

Subsequently, NCI examined human data from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study of over half a million retirees. Increasing consumption of aspartame-containing beverages was not associated with the development of lymphoma, leukemia, or brain cancer (2).

cheesevixen_staci

First off you c an find a "study" or "article" to prove pretty much everything on the internet, however, it doesn't make it true.

Saying that I LOVE diet soda. I don't guzzle it everyday, but when I want a treat; that's what I reach for. My fav is Diet Dr. Pepper.

My friends tell me all the time how "bad" Diet is. What's worse is the people who usually give me crap about it are twice my weight, smoke, drink alcohol, or say "It's ok to have a piece of cake every now and then". I think people should just let everyone live their own lives and do what works for them. Oh that's right....because some people feel the need to tell other people how to live in order to make them feel more confortable.

IDC. I drink about 14-18 cups of water a day. I drink Diet when I have my treats.

P.s. candy will kill you. You shouldn't eat candy. Because I don't......>> j/k...........

wheird

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.

The idea is that all things aren't equal. Reduced appetite and increased energy from the diet sodas could, in my opinion, cause someone to eat a little less and move a little more. That could account for the additional weight loss. (However, the study required self-monitoring of food intake.)

DanaDark

To my fellow science lovers out there... thank you. You make me hope again for our species. Thank you. Thank you.

FeedTheWolf

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.

This. The study's findings are, essentially, that if you have fewer temptations it's easier to exert your self-control, and you'll lose more weight than if your diet was unhealthier.

The misleading title is just to ensure the soda companies recoup some of the money they wasted on this diet soda advert-.... errr... I mean study.

DavPul

I don't have to read the study.
Good luck with all the trash chemicals Diet Pepsi has (Aspartame, etc...)

Water has no long term effects, we need it. Biology says it's a fundamental need for life.

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

awesome first post

wheird

I don't have to read the study.
Good luck with all the trash chemicals Diet Pepsi has (Aspartame, etc...)

Water has no long term effects, we need it. Biology says it's a fundamental need for life.

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

awesome first post

:laugh: :laugh:

VeganCappy

I always find it ironic when people recommend consuming a chemical *kitten* storm to promote health. Cyanide will help you lose weight too, and you only have to take it once.

wheird

I always find it ironic when people recommend consuming a chemical *kitten* storm to promote health. Cyanide will help you lose weight too, and you only have to take it once.

I always find it ironic when people use emotion and bias to promote B.S.

RBXChas

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?

Well, my best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw someone die after drinking diet soda at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious.

Ktanaqui

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.

My father and my brother both have violent reactions to aspartame, causing headaches, nausea, dizziness, and even paranoia. My mother used to get headaches from eating taco bell before they stopped putting MSG in their food. These man-made "flavorings" are scary science experiments gone wrong.

I am sorry these things happened to you guys

But this is more an individual sensitivity.

So some people have peanut allergies does not mean peanuts will kill us all.

I can agree that some people are sensitive to MSG and aspertame and can not/should not have it

BUT for the majority it is no issue, and is not evil or a killer

But according to the FDA, there is no such thing as an allergy to aspartame. So how can you claim that its a sensitivity/allergy if it doesn't actually exist?

Keepcalmanddontblink

Who funded this thing?

That's what I want to know!

RBXChas

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.

My father and my brother both have violent reactions to aspartame, causing headaches, nausea, dizziness, and even paranoia. My mother used to get headaches from eating taco bell before they stopped putting MSG in their food. These man-made "flavorings" are scary science experiments gone wrong.

I am sorry these things happened to you guys

But this is more an individual sensitivity.

So some people have peanut allergies does not mean peanuts will kill us all.

I can agree that some people are sensitive to MSG and aspertame and can not/should not have it

BUT for the majority it is no issue, and is not evil or a killer

But according to the FDA, there is no such thing as an allergy to aspartame. So how can you claim that its a sensitivity/allergy if it doesn't actually exist?

People with phenylketonuria should not have aspartame. That's about it.

My SIL is an epileptic and a diet soda addict, and she's never had a reaction in her 41 years. It could be that this person's late wife had PKU or that correlation =/= causation. (Though I am sorry for his loss. No one deserves to go through that either as he sick person or the sick person's loved one.)

DanaDark

But according to the FDA, there is no such thing as an allergy to aspartame. So how can you claim that its a sensitivity/allergy if it doesn't actually exist?

Most likely it is a combination of various ingredients that cause an adverse reaction in some people, rather than any specific sensitivity to a single ingredient.

Bottom line really, if diet soda causes some sort of strange bodily behavior for you (even if its all in your mind), don't drink it. If not, feel free to if you want.

Proven time and time again, safe for the general populace.

keeponkickin

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

Ia m with this lady here, tell you what I survived a ruptured brain anuerism, life is too short, drink the diet soda we all and up taking dirt naps anyway

^^THIS^^ all the way.

Falcon7494

The study you mention
was paid for by the American Beverage Council, so it's not surprising that the results support their position...just sayin'.

emdeesea

Who funded this thing?

That's what I want to know!

It's right there in the paper - industry-funded. Funded by the company who promotes the product.

So guess who the results favor? Shouldn't be a shock to anyone.

I don't know how this thread has gotten off on cancer-causing, and crap like that. That wasn't the point of this so-called "study." (more like an advert, really)

So whatever, carry on. I'm more insulted and disgusted that corporations carry out crap like this and try to pass it off as "science." Because it's not. It's blatant manipulation.