Diet soda is NOT evil
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binary_jester
Posts: 3,311 Member
I am just trying to dispel some common myths I hear over and over...
OMG caffeine is a diuretic!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html
Medical experts have been saying for years that caffeine acts as a potent diuretic. Consume too many caffeinated beverages, and you end up drinking yourself into dehydration.
But research has not confirmed that notion. Most studies have found that in moderate amounts, caffeine has only mild diuretic effects — much like water.
One report, by a scientist at the University of Connecticut who reviewed 10 previous studies, appeared in June 2002 in The International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
Investigations comparing caffeine with water or placebo seldom found a statistical difference in urine volume, the author wrote. “In the 10 studies reviewed, consumption of a caffeinated beverage resulted in 0 to 84 percent retention of the initial volume ingested, whereas consumption of water resulted in 0 to 81 percent retention.”
Another study, in the same journal in 2005, involved scientists following 59 active adults over 11 days while controlling their caffeine intake. They were given caffeine in capsule form on some days and on other days were given a placebo. Researchers found no significant differences in levels of excreted electrolytes or urine volume.
Other recent studies have found similar results.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Caffeine may not be as powerful a diuretic as it’s often said to be.
OMG artificial sweeteners will give you cancer
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweeteners
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.
What have studies shown about a possible association between specific artificial sweeteners and cancer?
Saccharin
Studies in laboratory rats during the early 1970s linked saccharin with the development of bladder cancer. For this reason, Congress mandated that further studies of saccharin be performed and required that all food containing saccharin bear the following warning label: “Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin, which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.”
Subsequent studies in rats showed an increased incidence of urinary bladder cancer at high doses of saccharin, especially in male rats. However, mechanistic studies (studies that examine how a substance works in the body) have shown that these results apply only to rats. Human epidemiology studies (studies of patterns, causes, and control of diseases in groups of people) have shown no consistent evidence that saccharin is associated with bladder cancer incidence.
Because the bladder tumors seen in rats are due to a mechanism not relevant to humans and because there is no clear evidence that saccharin causes cancer in humans, saccharin was delisted in 2000 from the U.S. National Toxicology Program’s Report on Carcinogens, where it had been listed since 1981 as a substance reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen (a substance known to cause cancer). More information about the delisting of saccharin is available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/eleventh/append/appb.pdf on the Internet. The delisting led to legislation, which was signed into law on December 21, 2000, repealing the warning label requirement for products containing saccharin.
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).
OMG diet soda will make you fatter!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/04/earlyshow/contributors/emilysenay/main2330142.shtml
(CBS) For many people there's only one real reason to drink diet soda.
"Because it's got no calories and, yeah, you try to watch your weight," says Raymond Tomczak.
But, as The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay reports, some experts are now saying diet soda may be doing the exact opposite: making them gain weight.
Epidemiologist Sharon Fowler, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, presented research data on soda consumption to the American Diabetes Association.
"What we saw was that the more diet sodas a person drinks, the more weight they were likely to gain," she says.
That finding was a big surprise, but it reflected what nutritionist Melainie Rogers saw in her work with obese patients in New York.
"When we would switch them on to diet soda off regular soda, we weren't seeing weight loss necessarily, and that was confusing to us," Rogers says.
But why would diet soda make some people gain weight? There are only theories at this point but it may be as simple as people consciously eating more because they think they can.
Khristianne Corro says, "If I'm having one of those pig out days, then yeah, I figure maybe it'll balance it out a little bit."
And Tomczak says, "I'm drinking the diet soda and you know let me have that hamburger and fries, instead of just the hamburger alone."
Researchers say physiology may also play a role.
"When I put anything to my stomach that's not water then my stomach responds by increasing the gastric acid secretion," Fowler says. "Does that increase my sense of hunger and does that drive me to eat more?"
If diet soda really doesn't take the weight off, it wouldn't be the first time a diet product failed to perform as expected.
"You know, much the same as when we went through the fat free craze, people overate – not because there was anything wrong with the products, but they overate," says Rogers, the nutritionist. "So we're wondering are we seeing a similar phenomenon with the diet soda."
There are still plenty of questions that researchers need to answer. For instance, are these results associated with all artificial sweeteners? Or just certain ones?
And of course, it's all just a theory until larger controlled studies can be done, but the early findings are fascinating.
In the meantime, there are alternatives for people who are trying to lose weight.
There's juice and water or coffee and tea. Dr. Senay says the one thing to take away from this is moderation. Whatever you put in your mouth, don't overdo it. A diet product won't really help you lose weight if you're still getting too many calories from other foods.
Notice they say the only possible link is possibly causing gastric secretions. Otherwise they say people may over eat. if you are religiously tracking your calories, you can control that on your own.
Do what you want with the information. Just don't believe all the hype.
I drink Diet Mt Dew. I also drink plenty of water. Just had a check up and everything was fine.
OMG caffeine is a diuretic!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html
Medical experts have been saying for years that caffeine acts as a potent diuretic. Consume too many caffeinated beverages, and you end up drinking yourself into dehydration.
But research has not confirmed that notion. Most studies have found that in moderate amounts, caffeine has only mild diuretic effects — much like water.
One report, by a scientist at the University of Connecticut who reviewed 10 previous studies, appeared in June 2002 in The International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
Investigations comparing caffeine with water or placebo seldom found a statistical difference in urine volume, the author wrote. “In the 10 studies reviewed, consumption of a caffeinated beverage resulted in 0 to 84 percent retention of the initial volume ingested, whereas consumption of water resulted in 0 to 81 percent retention.”
Another study, in the same journal in 2005, involved scientists following 59 active adults over 11 days while controlling their caffeine intake. They were given caffeine in capsule form on some days and on other days were given a placebo. Researchers found no significant differences in levels of excreted electrolytes or urine volume.
Other recent studies have found similar results.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Caffeine may not be as powerful a diuretic as it’s often said to be.
OMG artificial sweeteners will give you cancer
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweeteners
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.
What have studies shown about a possible association between specific artificial sweeteners and cancer?
Saccharin
Studies in laboratory rats during the early 1970s linked saccharin with the development of bladder cancer. For this reason, Congress mandated that further studies of saccharin be performed and required that all food containing saccharin bear the following warning label: “Use of this product may be hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin, which has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.”
Subsequent studies in rats showed an increased incidence of urinary bladder cancer at high doses of saccharin, especially in male rats. However, mechanistic studies (studies that examine how a substance works in the body) have shown that these results apply only to rats. Human epidemiology studies (studies of patterns, causes, and control of diseases in groups of people) have shown no consistent evidence that saccharin is associated with bladder cancer incidence.
Because the bladder tumors seen in rats are due to a mechanism not relevant to humans and because there is no clear evidence that saccharin causes cancer in humans, saccharin was delisted in 2000 from the U.S. National Toxicology Program’s Report on Carcinogens, where it had been listed since 1981 as a substance reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen (a substance known to cause cancer). More information about the delisting of saccharin is available at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/roc/eleventh/append/appb.pdf on the Internet. The delisting led to legislation, which was signed into law on December 21, 2000, repealing the warning label requirement for products containing saccharin.
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).
OMG diet soda will make you fatter!
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/04/earlyshow/contributors/emilysenay/main2330142.shtml
(CBS) For many people there's only one real reason to drink diet soda.
"Because it's got no calories and, yeah, you try to watch your weight," says Raymond Tomczak.
But, as The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay reports, some experts are now saying diet soda may be doing the exact opposite: making them gain weight.
Epidemiologist Sharon Fowler, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, presented research data on soda consumption to the American Diabetes Association.
"What we saw was that the more diet sodas a person drinks, the more weight they were likely to gain," she says.
That finding was a big surprise, but it reflected what nutritionist Melainie Rogers saw in her work with obese patients in New York.
"When we would switch them on to diet soda off regular soda, we weren't seeing weight loss necessarily, and that was confusing to us," Rogers says.
But why would diet soda make some people gain weight? There are only theories at this point but it may be as simple as people consciously eating more because they think they can.
Khristianne Corro says, "If I'm having one of those pig out days, then yeah, I figure maybe it'll balance it out a little bit."
And Tomczak says, "I'm drinking the diet soda and you know let me have that hamburger and fries, instead of just the hamburger alone."
Researchers say physiology may also play a role.
"When I put anything to my stomach that's not water then my stomach responds by increasing the gastric acid secretion," Fowler says. "Does that increase my sense of hunger and does that drive me to eat more?"
If diet soda really doesn't take the weight off, it wouldn't be the first time a diet product failed to perform as expected.
"You know, much the same as when we went through the fat free craze, people overate – not because there was anything wrong with the products, but they overate," says Rogers, the nutritionist. "So we're wondering are we seeing a similar phenomenon with the diet soda."
There are still plenty of questions that researchers need to answer. For instance, are these results associated with all artificial sweeteners? Or just certain ones?
And of course, it's all just a theory until larger controlled studies can be done, but the early findings are fascinating.
In the meantime, there are alternatives for people who are trying to lose weight.
There's juice and water or coffee and tea. Dr. Senay says the one thing to take away from this is moderation. Whatever you put in your mouth, don't overdo it. A diet product won't really help you lose weight if you're still getting too many calories from other foods.
Notice they say the only possible link is possibly causing gastric secretions. Otherwise they say people may over eat. if you are religiously tracking your calories, you can control that on your own.
Do what you want with the information. Just don't believe all the hype.
I drink Diet Mt Dew. I also drink plenty of water. Just had a check up and everything was fine.
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Replies
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DIET SODA KILLED MY PARENTS!0
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Did a crate of it fall on them?DIET SODA KILLED MY PARENTS!0 -
Did a create of it fall on them?
Crate.
eta: haha you beat me to the punch with your edit.0 -
Caught before the edit. LOLDid a create of it fall on them?
Crate.0 -
No. A can of diet soda shot them in an alley as we were leaving the theatre. That's why I'm so dark and brooding all the time.0
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Now THAT is a warning label I'd like to see.No. A can of diet soda shot them in an alley as we were leaving the theatre. That's why I'm so dark and brooding all the time.0 -
Caught before the edit. LOLDid a create of it fall on them?
Crate.
Ha! I just couldn't resist!
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I should remove my little grammar nazi symbol for my lack of proofreading.
Caught before the edit. LOLDid a create of it fall on them?
Crate.
Ha! I just couldn't resist!0 -
Now THAT is a warning label I'd like to see.No. A can of diet soda shot them in an alley as we were leaving the theatre. That's why I'm so dark and brooding all the time.
I'm trying to get these warning labels on diet soda but it seems that I am the only one this has ever happened to. I won't give up, though. I'm trying to save lives.0 -
Nah, that's okay. You can keep it. Just don't let it happen again.
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I love my diet pepsi i only drink 1 -2 bottles a day// ive tried giving it up and ugghhhh the with drawl alone is nasty:drinker: <--- drinikin diet pepsi0
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dont get me wrong, i think its amazing that yet another person has learnt the art to being able to copy text from a range of sources, and pasting them into one post on this forum
just a shame that the text copied appear to be from quie one sided sources
all your opening post will do is encourage people to glug down diet soda instead of water
i guess you didnt read about the girl 2 years ago who corroded through her entire stomach wall with diet soda - ended up everything she was eating and drinking was leaking into her body and her liver ended up failing
lets see how many more people this happens to when they truely belive they too can drink as much diet soda as they wish with no side effects0 -
I love my diet pepsi i only drink 1 -2 bottles a day// ive tried giving it up and ugghhhh the with drawl alone is nasty:drinker: <--- drinikin diet pepsi
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No. A can of diet soda shot them in an alley as we were leaving the theatre. That's why I'm so dark and brooding all the time.
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LOL! My goodness! This is just like different diet plans that people argue with one another for which one works best! This is the internet you are going to find info for both sides of the arguement! If you are looking for things that tell how diet soda is bad for you, you are going to find it and vise versa. Everytime I want to get on the message boards someone brings up a topic that you either agree of disagree. I thought this site was for support and motivation! Not debates! So good luck to everyone and go talk to a health care professional in person to find out what is correct!0
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It's not nutritious and while drinking in "moderation" may not cause harm, it certainly doesn't have any benefits. In fact if for those who have a hard time drinking water it may actually be a deterrent. I'd rather not willingly drink a bunch of chemicals.0
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One sided? You mean the NYTimes? CBS News? Cancer.gov? You're right. I guess I could have just posted all my propaganda from Pepsi.comdont get me wrong, i think its amazing that yet another person has learnt the art to being able to copy text from a range of sources, and pasting them into one post on this forum
just a shame that the text copied appear to be from quie one sided sources
all your opening post will do is encourage people to glug down diet soda instead of water
i guess you didnt read about the girl 2 years ago who corroded through her entire stomach wall with diet soda - ended up everything she was eating and drinking was leaking into her body and her liver ended up failing
lets see how many more people this happens to when they truely belive they too can drink as much diet soda as they wish with no side effects0 -
dont get me wrong, i think its amazing that yet another person has learnt the art to being able to copy text from a range of sources, and pasting them into one post on this forum
just a shame that the text copied appear to be from quie one sided sources
all your opening post will do is encourage people to glug down diet soda instead of water
i guess you didnt read about the girl 2 years ago who corroded through her entire stomach wall with diet soda - ended up everything she was eating and drinking was leaking into her body and her liver ended up failing
lets see how many more people this happens to when they truely belive they too can drink as much diet soda as they wish with no side effects
He isn't saying that people should drink pop INSTEAD of water - just that there are some myths associated with diet soda. Calm down, please.0 -
AMEN!...and even if that all said yes diet soda is gonna kill u...im still gonna drink it- cuz i love my coke zero!!! and no one will take that away from me...NO ONEEEEEEE
but thanks for the re-assurance :-)0 -
Basically - everything in moderation.
If you're gonna drink more than a bottle a day, then you need to cut back....simple as0
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