Is Diet Coke bad for the body?

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Replies

  • allisonmrn
    allisonmrn Posts: 721 Member
    I don't know. I have a soda as a treat once or twice a week. I drink water most of the time. 3-5L a day
  • KittieLea
    KittieLea Posts: 1,156 Member
    I can't speak for everyone, however, when I used to drink a diet coke every morning I would get a horrible headache about an hour later. I never realized the diet cokes were causing my headaches. I haven't had a diet anything since 2011 and rarely get headaches now. So I would say yes, diet coke is bad for the body, mine anyway.
  • LoriBeMe
    LoriBeMe Posts: 165 Member
    What about that old saying "Everything in moderation"?
  • rachelhohenbrink
    rachelhohenbrink Posts: 179 Member
    Yes diet coke is a synthetic chemical slush of nastiness. Let me take this time to mention I really like it. It actually spikes insulin levels and can cause you to be hungrier than you were before you drank it. I have almost completely kicked the habit and replaced with iced tea sweetened with stevia or a soda called Zevia also flavored with stevia.
  • witchy_wife
    witchy_wife Posts: 792 Member
    This is an exert from an 8 year study on people consuming both regular and diet pop by Dr Fowler in which there were higher levels of weight gain associated with diet pop. "People think they can just fool the body. But maybe the body isn't fooled," she says. "If you are not giving your body those calories you promised it, maybe your body will retaliate by wanting more calories. Some soft drink studies do suggest that diet drinks stimulate appetite."

    This is one studied artifical sugar in mice: In the mouse study, researchers fed aspartame, a calorie-free sweetener used in some diet sodas, to diabetes-prone mice. One group of mice ate chow to which both aspartame and corn oil were added; another other group ate chow with only corn oil added.

    After three months, the mice that ate aspartame showed elevated blood sugar levels.

    "These results suggest that heavy aspartame exposure might potentially directly contribute to increased blood glucose levels, and thus contribute to the associations observed between diet soda consumption and the risk of diabetes in humans," said study researcher Gabriel Fernandes, professor of rheumatology and clinical immunology at the university.

    I am insulin resistant so I stay clear of all pop and the research seems to agree. If you however have no health concerns then the choice is up to you and if you are already watching and logging your food intake you probably know best if diet pop fits into your plan.

    piratesarecool4.gif

    My favourite graph ever :)
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
    I don't know how bad, but I think it best to minimize things like that. Several a day every day probably wouldn't be good for anybody.

    Every once in awhile, I just gotta have one, but it usually only serves to remind me that it tastes rather bad after the first few icy-cold swallows. So I rarely finish one.

    (P.S. - it's better with rum or whiskey; don't wanna get into that habit, either)
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    I dont think anythign is ruining the world. Im just saying; ingestign things into your body that aren't natural IS not GOOD for you. The opposite good is bad. This inst rocket science.

    Please all knowing and powerful OZ tell us what value added benefit we get from ingesting chemicals contained in the likes of Diet Soda.


    What Good benefit do our bodies derive from this list below?
    Aspartame

    ...
    2. Phosphoric Acid

    ...
    3. Caffeine (synthesized)
    ...

    4. Acesulfame Potassium
    ...

    5. Potassium Benzoate
    ...

    First, if your "source" is Dr. Oz, your argument is thereby invalid. QED.

    Did know our body is MADE from CHEMICALS? OMG! Phosphoric acid is found naturally in milk, eggs and plenty of other things. Phosphates form the basis of our DNA. Phosphates are needed to grow crops and sustain life. Diet coke also has SODIUM (about 20 mg, or about 1% of what's in a can of vegetable soup). You can just call those "electrolytes" if you want to be like the energy drink companies. Aspartame is also made up from natural substances that occur in the human bodies. And like many "chemicals" our bodies break it down the minute we digest it.

    The National Cancer Institute believes there is no link between aspartame and cancer but you know, go ahead and quote Dr. Oz some more. Love it. You should probably stop drinking water because it's a compound of two elements. Or maybe if you want to stick to "natural" foods go ingest some uranium or cyanide as both are plentiful and naturally occuring. Cyanide is also organic. So enjoy.
  • Lyerin
    Lyerin Posts: 818 Member
    Aspartame

    Aspartame is an artificial sweetener found in most diet soda. Aspartame is suspected to cause cancer and it has also been linked to Alzheimer's disease. Some have the PKU gene and they cannot process phenylalanine (an amino acid found in Aspartame). If people with the PKU gene consume phenylalanine, they will suffer neurological damage and possibly death. Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid found in many dairy products. In its natural form, phenylalanine combines with other amino acids. In isolation, phenylalanine could have adverse health effects.

    Really? One of your arguements is that someone with PKU might be impacted? Newborns are routinely tested for PKU via a heel stick shortly after birth. PKU is a treatable disease, and it is highly unlikely that someone would make it to an age where they are able to drink soda without knowing that they have PKU and need to avoid phenylalanine.

    I do not believe that there have been any scientific, replicated, peer-reviewed studies that have definatively linked aspartame to either cancer or alzheimer's diesase.

    In any event, it is much better to drink water, obviously, instead of any kind of soda. Diet soda will not kill you though. If you like it, drink it in moderation.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    This is an exert from an 8 year study on people consuming both regular and diet pop by Dr Fowler in which there were higher levels of weight gain associated with diet pop. "People think they can just fool the body. But maybe the body isn't fooled," she says. "If you are not giving your body those calories you promised it, maybe your body will retaliate by wanting more calories. Some soft drink studies do suggest that diet drinks stimulate appetite."

    This is one studied artifical sugar in mice: In the mouse study, researchers fed aspartame, a calorie-free sweetener used in some diet sodas, to diabetes-prone mice. One group of mice ate chow to which both aspartame and corn oil were added; another other group ate chow with only corn oil added.

    After three months, the mice that ate aspartame showed elevated blood sugar levels.

    "These results suggest that heavy aspartame exposure might potentially directly contribute to increased blood glucose levels, and thus contribute to the associations observed between diet soda consumption and the risk of diabetes in humans," said study researcher Gabriel Fernandes, professor of rheumatology and clinical immunology at the university.

    I am insulin resistant so I stay clear of all pop and the research seems to agree. If you however have no health concerns then the choice is up to you and if you are already watching and logging your food intake you probably know best if diet pop fits into your plan.

    piratesarecool4.gif

    My favourite graph ever :)

    I love noodles.
  • Great_Mazinga
    Great_Mazinga Posts: 214 Member
    It certainly wasn't doing me any good. I was hyper loading on the stuff though, probably averaging 1-1.5 liters a day. The FIRST thing I did when I started this journey was drop Diet Mountain Dew {my wakey wakey drink at the time}. I lost 9 lbs the first week. That's all I did. Sure it's probably just water weight, but still. After getting over a couple days of headaches, I've been otherwise withdrawl free. 60 something extra pounds later, I don't touch or miss the stuff.

    Since my blood sugar has plummetted, I don't need the wakey wakey beverages any more. I also don't compulsively crave and chase the refined carbs like I did. I was a pasta, cookie, donut, etc. junkie. Now I can pass them by. It's more than self control. There are many studies on the maladies of artificial sweetners, and one of my "symptoms" was addictive behaviour toward carbs.

    My wife actually had to kick her diet coke addiction because she was having bleeding in her brain from the sweetners. She's never had the problem since dropping the sodas.

    Of course, I was drinking more than average and your mileage may vary. I just don't think it's worth the expense both money and health to drink them anymore.
  • Gianna5587
    Gianna5587 Posts: 59 Member
    Yes

    How bad? Not very

    As bad as sugar coke? I don't think so.

    Worth it? sometimes

    Agreed.

    Loving the image of those sneaky little diet coke particles smuggling tiny bags of fat deep into my bones...
  • hollyk57
    hollyk57 Posts: 520 Member
    Diet soda contains poisonous, cancer-causing chemicals.... Which sounds delicious and all... but I would not touch the stuff. Besides the fact that it tastes absolutely disgusting, all artificial sweeteners also makes me terribly sick.

    Oh+you+drink+Diet+Soda,+you+must+be+so+Healthy!!.jpg
  • When in doubt, drink water!!! I think the issue is the sweetener involved with diet sodas can trigger a craving for more sugars... or something a long those lines.
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
    What about that old saying "Everything in moderation"?

    "heroin in moderation" ftw...
  • Josette89
    Josette89 Posts: 244
    It's pointless to replace something with the "diet" version of that something. If you want real results, just drop it completely. Soda isn't great for you, it's packed with sugar which turns into fat. You would probably lose weight, but most likely gain fat and possibly Diabetes.
  • Sherbog
    Sherbog Posts: 1,072 Member
    I have a difficult time deciding if posts are serious or not..:)
  • PhillyTD
    PhillyTD Posts: 375 Member
    So bad it ATTACKS you.

    pic_1208825213073.jpg
  • JennaM222
    JennaM222 Posts: 1,996 Member
    Yes. It's terrible for you. If you drink it, your insides will rust, and eventually, you will implode. Ask the millions of diet coke drinkers on the planet. They'll tell you.


    and your babies will be born with 8 legs.
  • Bethie_B
    Bethie_B Posts: 292 Member
    So bad it ATTACKS you.

    pic_1208825213073.jpg

    WIN!
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    yes chemicals!! your liver has to work harder to remove all these toxins ..to your body chemicals are toxins ..its like "WTF is this crap???" :huh:
  • jennismagic
    jennismagic Posts: 243 Member
    It's not good for you at all. Clearly, we have some soda addicts who think it's perfectly safe, but they're horribly mistaken. With that said, we're all putting something bad into our bodies, so just drink up (in moderation) and enjoy.
  • anapestic
    anapestic Posts: 169 Member
    Every morning, I get out of bed, get dressed, take the dog for a 1.5-mile walk, shower, get dressed differently, and get a Diet Coke on my way to the office. And it's not until I take the first sip and feel the acid burn of the Diet Coke that I feel alive and ready to face the day.

    Caffeine is addictive. The last time I decided that it was bad for me and went through withdrawal, I had a couple of days of headaches, then the headaches went away, and I waited for the promised sense of euphoria and well-being, and it DID NOT HAPPEN. Mostly I just felt mildly tired. A couple of weeks later, I decided I'd have a Diet Coke in the morning, and OMG was that a great day. The best way to deal with caffeine addiction is to keep having caffeine. Caffeine really isn't heroin.

    I lose weight if I ingest fewer calories than I burn. I gain weight if I ingest more calories than I burn. Artificial sweeteners don't give me headaches. If they significantly increased the incidence of cancer, the epidemiologists would have figured that out by now. There are a hundred things in my environment that may marginally increase the chance of cancer and that don't make me any happier. Diet Coke may, or may not, carry an itty bitty health risk, but it helps me control my calories and lose weight, and it makes my day so much better.
  • otiris81
    otiris81 Posts: 6 Member
    If you just have one once in a while you won't die from it. However, the stuff they substitute sugar with is known to leave a vast majority of people with a greater hunger feeling. I have one every now and then on weekends when I eat out but I don't drink it at home and that works for me. But I wouldn't drink a bunch a day.
  • jennismagic
    jennismagic Posts: 243 Member
    I have a difficult time deciding if posts are serious or not..:)

    Serious? No. Extremely stupid and unhelpful to OP? Yes.
  • jonilynn70
    jonilynn70 Posts: 145 Member
    Oh sweet jesus, yes!!! Soda diet or not is bad all the way around. It can hide fat deep in your bones, muscle mass and over time it can age your heart, kidneys and take a toll on your vascular system. I'm a a diet Pepsi person at heart but when I read what even 1 sode a day can do long term to your body, I limit a soda to maybe once a month a best. I also found when I quit diet sodae, I lost 5 pounds over a month without chaning anything except skipping the soda. My mom was a "Diet Rite" fan for a lot of years and I told her to try skipping the soda, she was amazed at how much lighter she felt.

    That's my '2cents'....

    This is the issue as outlined above. Maybe not the "deep in the bones" part as I don't believe bones hold fat. It's more than being about the artificial sweeteners. They are in almost anything we eat or drink to watch our weight. From Crystal Light which is said to be "healthy", to coffee creamer, too many to mention. But the rest of the ingredients in this drink, as well as regular soda, are unnatural and absolutely bad for our bodies. I am a 24 year addict of soda - 15 years of diet soda - and just quit 11 days ago. I finally read enough and decided it was time to stop. I have taken up some coffee and the rest is water which is totally foreign to my body!!! All the years of drinking soda I never drank water except a bottle during exercise. Good luck to you - I say give it up and opt for something more natural or that at least has some benefits to you vs. this chemical concoction. OH AND IN ADDITION, I have found it to me much more of a mental addiction than a physical one now that I have given it up. My mind always wants to get one but my body has not craved it :) Just have to beat that mind over matter issue.
  • It has been known to promote kidney stones along with Dr Pepper and Mountain Dew!! I have slowed down (not stopped) :flowerforyou: my intake to one Diet coke a day because of PAINFUL kidney stones.
  • It has been known to promote kidney stones along with Dr Pepper and Mountain Dew!! I have slowed down (not stopped) my intake to one Diet coke a day because of PAINFUL kidney stones.
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,271 Member
    I dont think anythign is ruining the world. Im just saying; ingestign things into your body that aren't natural IS not GOOD for you. The opposite good is bad. This inst rocket science.

    Please all knowing and powerful OZ tell us what value added benefit we get from ingesting chemicals contained in the likes of Diet Soda.


    What Good benefit do our bodies derive from this list below?
    Aspartame

    ...
    2. Phosphoric Acid

    ...
    3. Caffeine (synthesized)
    ...

    4. Acesulfame Potassium
    ...

    5. Potassium Benzoate
    ...

    First, if your "source" is Dr. Oz, your argument is thereby invalid. QED.

    Did know our body is MADE from CHEMICALS? OMG! Phosphoric acid is found naturally in milk, eggs and plenty of other things. Phosphates form the basis of our DNA. Phosphates are needed to grow crops and sustain life. Diet coke also has SODIUM (about 20 mg, or about 1% of what's in a can of vegetable soup). You can just call those "electrolytes" if you want to be like the energy drink companies. Aspartame is also made up from natural substances that occur in the human bodies. And like many "chemicals" our bodies break it down the minute we digest it.

    The National Cancer Institute believes there is no link between aspartame and cancer but you know, go ahead and quote Dr. Oz some more. Love it. You should probably stop drinking water because it's a compound of two elements. Or maybe if you want to stick to "natural" foods go ingest some uranium or cyanide as both are plentiful and naturally occuring. Cyanide is also organic. So enjoy.

    Doctor Who...who the F is Dr OZ? I just listed the chemicals found in Diet coke..... And you failed to answer the question...What added value do those extra Non naturally occurring synthesized chemicals bring to you...???

    BTW... RJ Reynolds said cigarettes had health benefits and believed it. Is it really that hard to just accept the fact that eating non natural things arent the best for us?

    ---->>> Im not telling you not too <<<

    I eat crap all the time every day. Im just saying its not good for you. And the person Im quoting.... If you jump to another conclusion like that you better wear a parachute. Next time I wont catch you!
  • jesindc
    jesindc Posts: 724 Member
    I think it is one of those, "everything in moderation" type things.

    A friend at work was drinking something like 12+ diet cokes a day (no exaggeration -- she would start drinking them first thing in the morning and continued drinking them through dinner), and she started having weird neurological symptoms. She was seeing doctors & getting all these tests done b/c she thought she might have MS, but it turned out that her body was having a weird reaction to all the diet coke she was drinking. She stopped drinking diet soda and within a week or so, the symptoms went away.

    But honestly, the average person isn't putting down a case of diet soda a day so i think that is probably a very rare story.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    The amount of alarmism in this thread is downright scary.