Diet Soda

lisapr123

I used to drink a lot of Diet Coke. Up to several cans a day. Just this weekend I realized I haven't bought it for home in months. I'll have one when I go out to eat sometimes (usually I drink iced tea). Not drinking Diet Coke hasn't changed my weight, or energy levels, or number of headaches. Honestly, life is the same except I don't drink it. It wasn't even a conscious thing, giving it up. I'm not sure how it happened.

What do I drink now? Water, lots of it, straight from the tap. Iced tea. Stash Peppermint Tea. Sprecher's Ginger Ale when I want some carbonation. Black coffee. Sometimes I'll have a regular pop but not too often as they tend to be too sweet.

sunnyday789

I go for green tea to give me the caffeine I seek. Aspartame causes cancer. Do real research. It is horrible for you.

What do you mean by "real" research? As mentioned previously in this thread there are no published peer reviewed clinical trials that say apartmane casues cancer.
Don't use it if you don't like it. Say you are worried that it may cause cancer. But don't pretend you have real reseaarch to support your opinion.

SLaw4215

I am a big Diet Coke consumer and giving up soda in my household would be very hard for us even though we've made progress swapping over to Crystal Light and Almond Milk. I have always been of the mindset that consuming diet soda is healthier than regular soda because diet soda contains so much less sugar.

On the news this morning I heard that in a test group of 2500 adults in New York, people who drink diet soda had a 44% higher rate of heart attacks and stroke. They don't know exactly why...if it's the soda or the eating habits associates with it.
http://health.lifegoesstrong.com/article/does-drinking-diet-soda-lead-heart-attacks-and-strokes

I can only speak from my own experiences. I have spent many years purchasing packaged items that say Low Fat, Fat Free, Cholesterol Free and everyone in my house is OBESE!! In the last year I have started to make a concerted effort to break away from packaged foods. Some weeks I am more disciplined than others and I still have a lot of work to do to turn things around. Kicking the Diet Coke habit is one of them.

I didn't answer your question...but maybe my observations will help in your decision making????

Best of Luck

durhamity

I quit diet sodas all the time! And get back on them again and again :indifferent: I have noticed, in myself, that when I drink diet soda, I really do want something either salty or sweet to go along with it and will eat more because of that. When I ween myself off, I usually turn to diet lipton green tea. And yes, I know that the tea is just as bad as the soda, but it does help me drink less and still gives me my caffine fix. I wish I could get off of cokes completely but I feel that I am not quite myself without them.

kutastha

I've used diet sodas for 30+ years (diet Coke with saccharin, yuck). My sister said she read (on the Internet, of course) that artificial sweeteners cause cognitive problems and poison the body. I reminded her I'm a physician with a PhD in molecular genetics and am in pretty good shape yet still drink diet sodas daily. I once did an experiment to see how different my life would be without them for a month and there was no difference in my weight, sleep, brain function nor general overall condition. Maybe my brain's just pickled from drinking them for so long? Doubtful.

NikoM5

My doctor who, while a family practitioner, specializes in diabetes, told me that sugarfree foods such as diet soda really don't help in weight loss--the sweetness "tricks" the body into thinking it's actually getting sugar and produces an insulin response regardless.

Here's an article on the concept: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/704432

I've stopped drinking the artificially sweetened drinks (as well as the regular stuff) and have dropped 16 lbs since Christmas.

That medspace link requires a login. The current data suggests your doctor is wrong. All artificial sweeteners should not be lumped together though. See the last sentence from the clip below.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2923074

"Because large doses of phenylalanine stimulate prolactin secretion in man, we studied the acute effects of oral doses of aspartame (0.534 g, equivalent to the amount of aspartame in approximately 1 L beverage), aspartic acid (0.242 g), and phenylalanine (0.3 and 1.0 g) on serum prolactin and other hormones in normal humans. Prolactin was not stimulated by any of the aspartame meals, aspartic acid, or 0.3 g phenylalanine; a small rise in serum prolactin, similar to that produced by a high-protein mixed meal, followed ingestion of 1.0 g phenylalanine. Serum growth hormone showed no statistically significant changes in response to any of the experimental meals whereas cortisol and insulin fell slightly and glucose rose slightly during each of the meals. We conclude that these doses of aspartame do not alter secretion of prolactin, cortisol, growth hormone, or insulin in normal individuals."

klcatterton

By the way, if you go to scholar.google.com and search using the terms "artificial sweetener and weight", you'll get a whole host of articles from medical journals.

Such as this one: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/

Be sure to double-check the year of publication, though--I saw an article listing carbohydrates as the source of keeping people feeling full. My, how research has changed in eight years...

klcatterton

Weird, the article didn't require a login for me... I'm afraid that's not the same article, anyway. Here's a quote from the article posted:

June 15, 2009—People who use artificial sweeteners are heavier, more likely to have diabetes, and more likely to be insulin-resistant compared with nonusers, according to data presented at ENDO 2009, the 91st annual meeting of The Endocrine Society. (Abstract P2-478)

If anyone wants, I will be happy to copy the article to a blog post. In the meantime, here's a casual recap of it: http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/diabetes-diet-drinks-for-preventing-diabetes-no-way.html

NikoM5

Weird, the article didn't require a login for me... I'm afraid that's not the same article, anyway. Here's a quote from the article posted:

June 15, 2009—People who use artificial sweeteners are heavier, more likely to have diabetes, and more likely to be insulin-resistant compared with nonusers, according to data presented at ENDO 2009, the 91st annual meeting of The Endocrine Society. (Abstract P2-478)

If anyone wants, I will be happy to copy the article to a blog post. In the meantime, here's a casual recap of it: http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/diabetes-diet-drinks-for-preventing-diabetes-no-way.html

Which sweetener did they study? Simply lumping all chemicals into one "artificial sweetener" heading would be irresponsible science.

TiffanyDeanee

Needs to be banned. The stuff is nasty.

Can you elaborate?



That was just personal opinion. I strongly dislike the taste and it is just as bad as drinking regular soda. Their is nothing "diet" about diet soda.

Kat120285

I used to love the stuff, didn't have it everyday or anything though. I gave it up because I feel slimmer and just overall better when I stick with a high water intake. I love fizz though so I've switched to flavored Italian sparkling water from Whole Foods, it's delicious and satisfies my fizz addiction =] I like regular water too as well as celestial seasonings teas.

klcatterton

I would agree with you. It is an interesting read, however.

I've re-posted the article here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/klcatterton/view/repost-endo-2009-use-of-artificial-sweeteners-linked-to-2-fold-increase-in-diabetes-215796

original link: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/704432

NikoM5

That was just personal opinion. I strongly dislike the taste and it is just as bad as drinking regular soda. Their is nothing "diet" about diet soda.

Yeah the taste isn't for everyone, that's for sure. But you're saying it's just your opinion that drinking diet soda is as bas as regular soda?

Lesa_Sass

I stopped drinking diet soda and lost 10 lbs over a period of several months. Some people said it was the sodium, some people said the artificial sweetner (cancer causing carcinogenic) was causing me to eat more. I do not know what it was, all I know is I look and feel so much better.

It is no secret soda is bad and there is a reason people do not want their children drinking it.

Another thing, cutting soda out of the family grocery budget is nice.

L

soccerella

heres another article, not sure if it requires log ins for anyone

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0887233310002249

it was published in 2011 and basically says theres no proof it does cause cancer and no proof it doesnt....jury is still out

But:
"In conclusion, APM at low doses is a potential angiogenic agent that can induce regenerative cytokine production. In particular, it enhances IL-6 and VEGF and their soluble receptor release from endothelial cells and leads to the activation of MAPKs (erk and p38) resulting in the formation of new blood vessels, thus creating favorable conditions that in vivo may result in the development of pathological conditions like diabetic retinopathies, rheumatoid arthritis and tumor cell invasion and spreading of metastases. "

basically they are saying it doesn't directly cause cancer, but that it can cause other things to happen that make cancer and other ailments easier to spread. It also says in the same article though that "factors affecting energy balance, such as the caloric intake, nutritional status and exercise, can influence cancer development and progression", so basically eating too few calories and not exercising can give you cancer as well :drinker:

NikoM5

I would agree with you. It is an interesting read, however.

I've re-posted the article here:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/klcatterton/view/repost-endo-2009-use-of-artificial-sweeteners-linked-to-2-fold-increase-in-diabetes-215796

original link: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/704432

Read the article. All the data is highly correlative, zero causation.

PearsPeppersandPeanutButter

Diet soda makes me bloat just as bad as regular soda and it gives me a headache. I had to find other ways to get caffeine. But it's confusing because some people say it doesn't bother them at all and others agree with me. I think it depends on your stomach, mine is pretty freaking sensitive. i do believe that the less the processed the better and soda is probably processed.

arc918

You'll have to pry the empty Diet Mtn Dew bottle out of my cold, dead hands!

klcatterton

I did read the article--it says that in the introduction. There are many correlative studies out there, and while one must have a healthy skepticism of such, sometimes I feel there is truth.

However, for example, just because ice cream sales and homicides increase during the summer does not mean that one causes the other.

In the end, with so much correlative (and sometimes contradicting) evidence out there, it really comes down to what you choose to believe.

MellyMartinson

I don't by into all the hype that gets thrown around about diet soda and yes I have seen and read alot of the studies and articles. To each their own do what you think works best for you.. I myself have not and will not be giving up my diet pepsi.... I drink 2 or 3 24oz. bottles a day (I still get in my 8 glasses of water). I once weighed 560 lbs, and could barely walk from room to room and when I began this journey I said if there was one thing I would not give up it was my diet pepsi. I gave up junk food and replaced with a healthy lifestyle.... 32 months later I have lost 302 lbs. and have never seen the correlation that diet pepsi makes me crave sweets yada yada yada.... and it certainly has not hindered my weightloss....

Pretty sure you are my hero! Great job! And I treat myself with a diet coke now and again.

benmiller512

I had been drinking 3-6 cans of Diet Coke a day. When I elected to quit at the start of the year it sucked. It was hard and I wanted the soda. I drink coffee and had to add an afternoon cup to compensate for the caffeine. I started to drink more water. At work the office has bottled water that is cold (have warm water so this was a big plus). At home a simple Britta or Pur pitcher and some lemons helped to make the water change easier as well. After about 2 weeks I elected (choose, did not NEED) to have a Diet Coke. It tasted terrible to me now. I drank about 1/4 of the can and poured it out. Now all I drink is water and an occasional unsweetened tea. It seems to get more and more easy each day to stick with just water. I can even stomache luke warm water now with no lemon. But it was a mind battle up to now. Good luck!!!

bcl003

I never really got into the whole diet soda thing, give me leaded please!! Lol! But I ended up getting a UTI (sorry if TMI) back in August and ended up having to give everything but cranberry juice (which I detest) and water. It was hard at first, but I did what I had to do to take care of myself and it got tons easier. After about a month I drank my first Dr. Pepper and it seemed too sweet but oh did I enjoy it!! A few months went by, holidays and all, and I was doing pretty good with only allowing myself 1 or 2 a week and in January I finally gave them all up except for when I go to our Sams Club and I get a Coke Icee!! They are so yummy and I live in Texas so they are served year round. Now for lent I am giving them up all together and I think it may stay that way. If I had never had to do it for health reasons I probably wouldn't have done it at all. I feel better now without it and taking the sodas out of my diet made me up my water intake and I dropped 10lbs. Straight soda now makes my tummy hurt and if I have it later in the day it affects my sleep, where I use to never have a problem with caffeine affecting me at all.

chimera711

Unfortunately, this is data presented at an endocrine meeting. It's not been published or peer-reviewed, so until it sees some statistical analysis, it's really meaningless.

soccerella

Unfortunately, this is data presented at an endocrine meeting. It's not been published or peer-reviewed, so until it sees some statistical analysis, it's really meaningless.

what data specifically are you talking about?

funkycamper

I used to easily drink about a 6-pack of Diet Coke daily. Since I've upped my water intake, I now only drink about 3-5 a week. I have noticed absolutely no difference in how I feel, in my weight loss, or anything else. Nada, zip changes, imho. A couple weeks ago I started to drink several each day again and my pee was still virtually clear even though I wasn't drinking much water during that time. This makes me question whether you really need water to be hydrated or just fluids. But now I'm back to just having a Diet Coke when my sweet tooth acts up a few times a week. It appeases it without making me need to eat anything else sweet, salty, or whatever. The only reason why I decided to cut down again was the effect on my grocery budget. I'd rather put that money toward the new clothes I need to buy as I continue to shrink.

Laurieann137

You'll have to pry the empty Diet Mtn Dew bottle out of my cold, dead hands!

This is SO me!

But thank you everyone...really. I think I will try and cut back first and see how that goes. My biggest holdback is that the water at my work is gross!! If that wasn't the case I would probably drink a lot more water! I do bring bottles of water with me, but when it's gone I'm left with vending machines! lol! I can' go back to regular pop now as it hurts my stomach...so maybe that's good thing. Sometimes I swear everything is bad for you to some extent!

NikoM5

I did read the article

Sorry when I said "read the article" I meant "I read the article", or phonetically, "red the article..."

duerrjennifer

I tended to drink TONS of diet mountain dew, mostly because I enjoyed it, it had flavor, and I thought it "kept me going." it eventually became a habit. I noticed I was tired all the time, so I kept downing more dew. I recently weaned myself off of it by starting with caffeine free dt dew (to fool myself and feed the habit) and only supplemented a caffeinated something when the headaches really flared up.

In one week, I've gotten to the point that I don't need the caffeine anymore. In addition, since I'm not getting the caffeine anymore, I don't feel like I need the soda as much. I drink tons of water now (more than before) and when I'm craving flavor, I use crystal light. I feel like I have SO much more energy now without the caffeine (and I hadn't changed anything else) . And, I'm saving a ton of money on soda. I don't force myself to go soda free. If I'm craving one, I go caffeine free so that I don't get hooked back on again. Its probably as addictive as cocaine (at least for me).

Now I'm ready to start increasing my energy and mood more by adding the exercise in. I'm so glad I stopped the caffeine soda addiction.