Diet soda... friend or foe?!?

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  • suelegal
    suelegal Posts: 1,282 Member
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    I generally agree with everyone, but I do have to relate my own experience. I used to drink 2 cans of DIET pepsi a day, and occassionally 3. I'd read/heard about the reports that drinking even diet sodas kept and added weight to people and I rahter thought I wasn't one of those who drank it to excess. However, I decided to do an experiment. I quit drinking all diet pepsi, and switched to plain water, and occassionally a flavored but unsweetened seltzer. I was totally shocked!!! I lost 10 pounds in about 3 weeks. Seriously!

    So I now only very rarely have diet anything, and stick with clear water and unsweetened seltzers.
  • Janeeemonettt
    Janeeemonettt Posts: 14 Member
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    I've been drinking nothing but water for the past two weeks and this morning I couldn't take it anymore! I got a diet soda out of the vending machine. Zero calories, zero carbs and 85mg of sodium. Can someone tell me if its okay to drink diet sodas???

    We all have our own vices, but i just dont get the soda one. It doesnt do anything for you, so why drink it. I personally dont like it, but if you only have it from time to time you should be ok.
  • sunnyday789
    sunnyday789 Posts: 309 Member
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    I've been drinking nothing but water for the past two weeks and this morning I couldn't take it anymore! I got a diet soda out of the vending machine. Zero calories, zero carbs and 85mg of sodium. Can someone tell me if its okay to drink diet sodas???

    We all have our own vices, but i just dont get the soda one. It doesnt do anything for you, so why drink it. I personally dont like it, but if you only have it from time to time you should be ok.
    It actually has the same hydration effect that the equivalent amount of water has so it does do something for you. (and yes, even if it is caffeinated)
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    PURE caffeine dehydrates, sure. But luckily we dont consume pure caffeine mostly. Our drinks, like diet soda, have WATER in them, that FAR outweighs any diuretic effect:


    di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
    adj.
    Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
    n.
    A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

    Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the diet soda. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


    http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what

    http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

    http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

    http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

    http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

    http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

    http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

    http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    It doesnt do anything for you, so why drink it?

    So everything we put in our bodies HAS to be purely for nutritional benefit? How about that thing called taste?
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
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    It doesnt do anything for you, so why drink it?

    So everything we put in our bodies HAS to be purely for nutritional benefit? How about that thing called taste?

    Now you're talking crazy. Healthy food, not from outer space, must have no taste or taste like cardboard.

    It's de rulzes.
  • thatblueyedchic
    thatblueyedchic Posts: 128 Member
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    It's a foe. I kicked the habit about a month ago and I feel so much better physically and mentally.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,701 Member
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    Although weight-loss articles often suggest drinking diet soda in place of full-calorie counterparts, health experts warn that the beverage's long-term side effects may not be worth the short-term benefit of consuming fewer calories.
    Loss of Calcium

    According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), high level of phosphates from diet soda leeches calcium out of the bones. Daily consumption of diet soda makes you three to four times more likely to suffer from a stress fracture and at an increased risk for osteoporosis.
    What it doesn't say is that is WITHOUT calcium supplementation. With supplementation (eating calcium rich foods), the risk greatly reduces.
    Dehydration

    Caffeine from diet soda triggers the kidneys to increase urine production, which results in an increased loss of water in the body. Dehydration can lead to dizziness, headaches, racing heartbeats and even death.
    Caffeine in ANY product will do this.
    Aspartame

    The low-calorie sweetener, aspartame, is found in most diet sodas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claims the ingredient is safe to consume; however, several side effects involving the ears, eyes, chest, skin, neurological system, gastrointestinal system and metabolic system, as well as psychological conditions, have been linked to its use. Hugo Rodier, M.D., author of "Sweet Death," suggests that drinking beverages containing aspartame leads to weight gain.
    Correlation isn't causation. There is no DEFINITIVE proof that diet soda causes the the issues above.
    Benzene

    In 2005, the FDA received reports that the carcinogen benzene was present in soft drinks containing benzoate salts and ascorbic acid. An FDA study found that the level of benzene in most drinks was below the U.S. standard for drinking water. The World Health Organization confirms that benzene causes cancer and that no safe level of exposure to benzene can be recommended.
    Bottom Line

    Drinking diet soda to lose weight may reduce your calorie intake, but it offers no nutritional benefits and could lead to negative health consequences over time. The ACSM recommends drinking water or mixing juice and water at a 1:1 ratio.

    Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/18690-side-effects-drinking-diet-soda/#ixzz1tv4vkDH9
    Benzene is all around us. People who commute are more exposed to benzene than people who drink diet sodas. Living in an industrialized city poses a much bigger threat of benzene inhalation than drinking a diet soda.

    If you're going to quote facts, make sure you quote all of them.:wink:

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • uvagirl
    uvagirl Posts: 4
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    I agree that it is a foe I have been travling to UVA medical center for 5 years now as a patient. I was told I had PKD and that drinking soda wasn't good but drinking Diet Soda was very bad. It is very bad for people who have miagrains as this is a trigger for them to start. It took me another 4 years to cut out soda all together but I have done it!!! I drink alot of water or add lemon and I can see and tell the diffrence in how I feel.

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