Diet Soda Drinkers Get Bigger Waistlines (News)
GinaKurtz
Posts: 228 Member
I read this yesterday & thought I'd share it with you guys. My husband is a Type I diabetic & we both were heavy diet soda/pop/coke (depending on where you're from) drinkers. As of nearly 2 weeks ago, I gave up caffeine completely. I drink nothing but water & have since I quit cold turkey. I actually crave water now! I was never a water drinker unless I just had to because it was after a run or something. Anyway, here's the article.
Here's the shortened link if you'd like to visit it yourself: http://tinyurl.com/4x4gvmc.
Calif. - No good deed goes unpunished, and that seems to include people who virtuously reach for diet sodas instead of the calorie-laden good stuff.
Before guzzling that artificially sweetened beverage in a haze of guilt-free carbonation, bear in mind that your diet soda may only be adding to your bottom line - or your waistline. At least that's the conclusion of a recently completed 12-year study.
The study looked at 474 people, ages 65 to 74, and found that, on average, those who drank diet sodas ended up with waistlines that increased three times more than those who avoided them.
People who consumed more than two diet sodas a day had waistlines that increased five times more than the nondiet soda drinkers, which included people who drank water, juices and even regular sodas, said Helen Hazuda, chief of clinical epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, and one of the study's investigators.
These results were comparable to similar studies in younger people, said Hazuda.
Belmont, Calif., resident Karen Krebser, 46, has been drinking diet soda since high school in an effort to help manage her weight. "I'm currently mostly off refined sugar and have tried a zillion different diets, but the one constant has been diet soda," she said.
Krebser consumes three or four cans a day since she gave up refined sugar in April. But after hearing about this unpublished study - presented at the American Diabetes Association Conference in June - she threw out the can of diet soda sitting on her desk.
There isn't a single explanation as to why drinks with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose or saccharin result in us having to squeeze our bulging bellies into larger pants.
Part of the reason could be psychological, Hazuda said. Some people splurge on calories in their food because they're saving on calories in their drinks. Think Big Macs and super-sized fries and diet Cokes.
Another factor Hazuda thinks plays a role in expanding waistlines is something called taste dysfunction. Because artificial sweeteners taste hundreds to thousands of times sweeter than regular sugar, our bodies come to expect sugary foods to be extremely sweet. So we start to seek out more sugar-laden options.
A third explanation is that our bodies are smarter than we think. When we suck down sweet things, our bodies register the sugary taste and wait for the accompanying calories, said Lillian Castillo, a public health dietitian with the Santa Clara (Calif.) County Public Health Department.
But with artificial sweeteners, our bodies don't get the calories they expect, so we start to crave foods high in fat and sugar. Santa Clara resident Karl Watanabe has consumed diet sodas since his wife started buying them exclusively three years ago. But it hasn't really affected his weight, he said. "Of course, it helps that I run marathons and do triathlons all the time."
"Once in a while, it's OK to have one," Castillo said. "But water is the only thing that's going to quench your thirst."
If water is just too bland, Castillo and Hazuda recommended adding slices of lemon or cucumber to brighten the flavor.
It may take a couple months for your brain to adjust to the different flavors, but the research suggests if you want those six-pack abs, it doesn't look as if you'll be able to find them at the bottom of a six-pack of diet soda.
© 2011, San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.). Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.
Here's the shortened link if you'd like to visit it yourself: http://tinyurl.com/4x4gvmc.
Calif. - No good deed goes unpunished, and that seems to include people who virtuously reach for diet sodas instead of the calorie-laden good stuff.
Before guzzling that artificially sweetened beverage in a haze of guilt-free carbonation, bear in mind that your diet soda may only be adding to your bottom line - or your waistline. At least that's the conclusion of a recently completed 12-year study.
The study looked at 474 people, ages 65 to 74, and found that, on average, those who drank diet sodas ended up with waistlines that increased three times more than those who avoided them.
People who consumed more than two diet sodas a day had waistlines that increased five times more than the nondiet soda drinkers, which included people who drank water, juices and even regular sodas, said Helen Hazuda, chief of clinical epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, and one of the study's investigators.
These results were comparable to similar studies in younger people, said Hazuda.
Belmont, Calif., resident Karen Krebser, 46, has been drinking diet soda since high school in an effort to help manage her weight. "I'm currently mostly off refined sugar and have tried a zillion different diets, but the one constant has been diet soda," she said.
Krebser consumes three or four cans a day since she gave up refined sugar in April. But after hearing about this unpublished study - presented at the American Diabetes Association Conference in June - she threw out the can of diet soda sitting on her desk.
There isn't a single explanation as to why drinks with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose or saccharin result in us having to squeeze our bulging bellies into larger pants.
Part of the reason could be psychological, Hazuda said. Some people splurge on calories in their food because they're saving on calories in their drinks. Think Big Macs and super-sized fries and diet Cokes.
Another factor Hazuda thinks plays a role in expanding waistlines is something called taste dysfunction. Because artificial sweeteners taste hundreds to thousands of times sweeter than regular sugar, our bodies come to expect sugary foods to be extremely sweet. So we start to seek out more sugar-laden options.
A third explanation is that our bodies are smarter than we think. When we suck down sweet things, our bodies register the sugary taste and wait for the accompanying calories, said Lillian Castillo, a public health dietitian with the Santa Clara (Calif.) County Public Health Department.
But with artificial sweeteners, our bodies don't get the calories they expect, so we start to crave foods high in fat and sugar. Santa Clara resident Karl Watanabe has consumed diet sodas since his wife started buying them exclusively three years ago. But it hasn't really affected his weight, he said. "Of course, it helps that I run marathons and do triathlons all the time."
"Once in a while, it's OK to have one," Castillo said. "But water is the only thing that's going to quench your thirst."
If water is just too bland, Castillo and Hazuda recommended adding slices of lemon or cucumber to brighten the flavor.
It may take a couple months for your brain to adjust to the different flavors, but the research suggests if you want those six-pack abs, it doesn't look as if you'll be able to find them at the bottom of a six-pack of diet soda.
© 2011, San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.). Distributed by Mclatchy-Tribune News Service.
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Replies
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I've cut pop too and lost so much weight:)0
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I'm leery of taking much stock in article(s) that don't actually reference the study that they're talking about.0
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I have stopped drinking pop several time and can't seem to stick to it but this might just do it for me. Thank you for sharing.0
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Thanks for posting! I just started meeting with a personal trainer and she told me the exact same thing. I HATE diet pop because it's always flavored with aspartame and I don't like the flavor of that, but I always used to put Splenda in my coffee. My trainer told me not to use Splenda, Sweet 'n' Low, or any of the artificial stuff but to only use stevia or xylitol.0
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I think the bottom line is just to drink water. Your body needs it, it doesn't need soda, diet or regular. I don't like what that article is suggesting. The alleged research seems to only demonstrate a correlation between drinking diet soda and having a pudge. There's no direct cause and effect there. I think you can have as many diet sodas as you want while losing weight. Just be prepared to deal with a lot of water retention from all that sodium, not to mention dehydrating yourself if you're not taking in enough water to begin with. That's especially true if you're drinking caffeinated sodas, since caffeine is a diuretic. Then there's also the issue of consuming a lot of aspartame or some other artificial sweetener, which isn't really good for you either. Like anything you put into your body (even water), it should be consumed in moderating. That's an interesting article
Thanks for sharing. 0 -
Thank you for this! I always need motivation to stop drinking soda- especially diet 0
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You sound like my husband! I emailed it to him yesterday while at work & he brought it up later on in the evening at home. He said it made him think about cutting it out of his diet all together too!I have stopped drinking pop several time and can't seem to stick to it but this might just do it for me. Thank you for sharing.
I stressed to him how much better I feel without any of that stuff in my system. The first couple of days without it were rough, but it was easy going after that! You can do it for good this time!0 -
I'm leery of taking much stock in article(s) that don't actually reference the study that they're talking about.
agreed.0 -
I haven't drank soda in several years, diet or otherwise. Water and milk for me.
1 regular 12oz soda a day will add 15 pounds in a year.0 -
I've heard that too!Thanks for posting! I just started meeting with a personal trainer and she told me the exact same thing. I HATE diet pop because it's always flavored with aspartame and I don't like the flavor of that, but I always used to put Splenda in my coffee. My trainer told me not to use Splenda, Sweet 'n' Low, or any of the artificial stuff but to only use stevia or xylitol.0 -
I agree with your comment. I also agree that we all need to drink water & more of it...period.I think the bottom line is just to drink water. Your body needs it, it doesn't need soda, diet or regular. I don't like what that article is suggesting. The alleged research seems to only demonstrate a correlation between drinking diet soda and having a pudge. There's no direct cause and effect there. I think you can have as many diet sodas as you want while losing weight. Just be prepared to deal with a lot of water retention from all that sodium, not to mention dehydrating yourself if you're not taking in enough water to begin with. That's especially true if you're drinking caffeinated sodas, since caffeine is a diuretic. Then there's also the issue of consuming a lot of aspartame or some other artificial sweetener, which isn't really good for you either. Like anything you put into your body (even water), it should be consumed in moderating. That's an interesting article Thanks for sharing.0 -
these diet pop articles are always misleading. diet pop doesn't make people fat. eating too many calories does. could diet pop make you crave sugar? sure, of course, but if you pay attention to what you are eating then there shouldn't be an issue when it comes to losing weight. i drink a lot of water, but i still love diet pop. has not hurt me one bit.0
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You can do it! :happy:Thank you for this! I always need motivation to stop drinking soda- especially diet0 -
Damnit! I think you just convinced me to stop drinking it all together. I had switched to diet last Summer and I can't even drink regular now but a'wow.. you just made me change my mind. Thanks! hah.0
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I think, like all things, in moderation a diet isn't so bad. However, when someone drinks multiple a day....that's not good for you.0
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these diet pop articles are always misleading. diet pop doesn't make people fat. eating too many calories does. could diet pop make you crave sugar? sure, of course, but if you pay attention to what you are eating then there shouldn't be an issue when it comes to losing weight. i drink a lot of water, but i still love diet pop. has not hurt me one bit.
you're a dude.0 -
I have heard of so many friends/acquaintances that say "I stopped drinking soda or diet soda and lost 10lbs". They all seemed to say 10lbs. When I stopped drinking soda I didn't lose anything. But I did notice I didn't bloat up like I did when I wasn't drinking any sodas at all.
Now I have one on occasion, but I was big on soda since that was my caffeine. I am becoming a tea drinker mostly now. I still can't tolerate the taste of coffee.0 -
You can do it! Once you get off of it & stay away, you won't like to stuff just like you can't stand regular now! Trust me! I HAD to have one a day at least until I quit!Damnit! I think you just convinced me to stop drinking it all together. I had switched to diet last Summer and I can't even drink regular now but a'wow.. you just made me change my mind. Thanks! hah.0 -
I think, like all things, in moderation a diet isn't so bad. However, when someone drinks multiple a day....that's not good for you.
haha. I realize that. But I've never wanted to not drink it before. ;]0 -
:laugh:these diet pop articles are always misleading. diet pop doesn't make people fat. eating too many calories does. could diet pop make you crave sugar? sure, of course, but if you pay attention to what you are eating then there shouldn't be an issue when it comes to losing weight. i drink a lot of water, but i still love diet pop. has not hurt me one bit.
you're a dude.0 -
I have heard of so many friends/acquaintances that say "I stopped drinking soda or diet soda and lost 10lbs". They all seemed to say 10lbs. When I stopped drinking soda I didn't lose anything. But I did notice I didn't bloat up like I did when I wasn't drinking any sodas at all.
Now I have one on occasion, but I was big on soda since that was my caffeine. I am becoming a tea drinker mostly now. I still can't tolerate the taste of coffee.
That was pretty much my point. Diet pop/soda makes me feel bloated. Good reason to quit, this is an even better one. Sheesh.0 -
Good for you! I'm not a coffee drinker either so I got my caffeine from diet sodas, like you. I'm not a big tea drinker either...there's just something about hot liquids that makes me cringe. I think the bloating was a big thing for me. I feel thinner & my clothes fit looser even though the scale doesn't reflect anything different.I have heard of so many friends/acquaintances that say "I stopped drinking soda or diet soda and lost 10lbs". They all seemed to say 10lbs. When I stopped drinking soda I didn't lose anything. But I did notice I didn't bloat up like I did when I wasn't drinking any sodas at all.
Now I have one on occasion, but I was big on soda since that was my caffeine. I am becoming a tea drinker mostly now. I still can't tolerate the taste of coffee.0 -
Interesting article - makes you think about the merits of water over anything else!
On that note, does anyone/has anyone tried those Vitamin Waters that are available? I'm interested to hear opinions :happy:0 -
I'm glad I can't stand the taste of diet soda. I cut SODA out of my life and now only drink WATER - Green TEA - & coconut water 0
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Here's my interpretation--people who are heavier ANYWAY are more likely to drink diet sodas because they know they're heavy. What we need is a 12 year study following a few hundred (or thousand) diet-soda drinking heavy folks who quit the sodas. If, with no other changes to their diet or activity level, they LOSE weight, then this would be meaningful.
For now, I'll drink my diet sodas. As a teen, I lost 135 lbs drinking diet sodas (and kept that weight off for 8 years, still drinking diet sodas), and these days I'm losing at a steady rate with 2-3 diet sodas a day. And 8-10 servings of water daily, of course..
Kris0 -
I switched to diet soda when I started MFP and have lost 22 pounds. I must be a freak because I don't get bloated, retain water, or crave sugary foods since I started drinking diet. Actually, my cravings for sugar have decreased since moving to artificial sweeteners.0
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I have heard of so many friends/acquaintances that say "I stopped drinking soda or diet soda and lost 10lbs". They all seemed to say 10lbs. When I stopped drinking soda I didn't lose anything. But I did notice I didn't bloat up like I did when I wasn't drinking any sodas at all.
Now I have one on occasion, but I was big on soda since that was my caffeine. I am becoming a tea drinker mostly now. I still can't tolerate the taste of coffee.0 -
these diet pop articles are always misleading. diet pop doesn't make people fat. eating too many calories does. could diet pop make you crave sugar? sure, of course, but if you pay attention to what you are eating then there shouldn't be an issue when it comes to losing weight. i drink a lot of water, but i still love diet pop. has not hurt me one bit.
you're a dude.
point being what?0 -
these diet pop articles are always misleading. diet pop doesn't make people fat. eating too many calories does. could diet pop make you crave sugar? sure, of course, but if you pay attention to what you are eating then there shouldn't be an issue when it comes to losing weight. i drink a lot of water, but i still love diet pop. has not hurt me one bit.
you're a dude.
Probably meaning women retain more water or get bloated or something like that? I don't know how that works for dudes, but I've never heard my husband complain of being bloated.
point being what?0 -
I'm sure it could if you don't balance it out in your calorie plan, but if you meet your calorie goal and drink one can of soda a day you certainly will not gain any weight.I haven't drank soda in several years, diet or otherwise. Water and milk for me.
1 regular 12oz soda a day will add 15 pounds in a year.0
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