My college research paper on Diet Soda vs. Regular Soda
Amatambi
Posts: 72
Diet Soda Bandwagon
With high-calorie, high-fat, cheap food available on every street corner, it has become easy to blame food consumption for America’s obesity epidemic. However, what we choose to drink can affect our health just as much as, if not more than, our eating habits. That is why more and more people are cutting high-calorie sodas and going for little-to-no calorie, supposedly healthier options. Sure, we’re told that drinking eight glasses of water daily should be one of our health goals, but drinking only water can get a little boring. And why would a person choose to pack on the extra 155 calories from that can of Coca-Cola when she can have a can of Diet Coke and get almost the same taste for no calories? Diet sodas attempt to cut the calories that are in regular soda by developing sweeteners that don’t contain the calories of corn syrup, which is used in regular soda. Even though they do not contain calories, though, these sweeteners still do pose some potentially serious health concerns.
There are many reasons people prefer soft drinks to juice or plain water. Most sodas have a taste that water can’t compare to. Some people like the light, citrusy flavors of 7Up and Sprite, while others go for a sweeter tasting soda, like Coca-Cola. They’re all carbonated, so the fizziness adds to the already-sweet flavor. But even though there are tons of different flavors, most of the non-diet soda is sweetened with the same thing: corn syrup, which is being used as a cheaper alternative to sugar in more and more foods and beverages. But because it is artificially made, the human body doesn’t recognize it as sugar to be used as energy, so it is stored as fat. Excessive consumption of corn syrup can lead to increased levels of triglycerides, liver damage, and diabetes (Ludwig).
In order to try to combat the use of corn syrup in almost everything we consume, there have been quite a few no-calorie sweeteners being introduced into the food and drink markets, but the one used specifically in diet soda is aspartame. A sweetener that made the beverages people know and love taste good, but without the calories, was a huge breakthrough, especially since people have become more aware of the dangers of corn syrup in recent years. A study done by epidemiologist Tala Fakhouri showed that the consumption of diet soda has gone up 5% since 2000 (Hellmich). The study also concluded that the number of calories an average person consumes through regular soda daily has dropped from 150 to 91, thanks to the increased consumption of diet soda (Hellmich).
However, according to an article in Environmental Nutrition, turning to zero-calorie drinks to help control calorie intake and ultimately weight may be a lost cause. In fact, a study done by the University of Texas shows that drinking diet sodas may actually do the opposite in terms of weight management (“Diet Soda-Weight Debate”). Not only did the people who drank diet soda regularly have bigger waists than those who did not consume diet soda at all, but the consumption of diet soda has also been linked to an increased risk for stroke (“Diet Soda-Weight Debate”). Even though the FDA deemed the sweetener safe in the 1980’s, the health effects of aspartame have been highly debated for a long time (“Study Linking Aspartame”). A radio broadcast from NPR News examined a survey linking the diet soda sweetener to an increased risk of blood cancer. Tests done on lab rats found that aspartame could increase the risk of cancer, which intrigued Eva Schernhammer of Brigham & Women’s Hospital (“Study Linking Aspartame”). After she conducted some surveys asking people about their intake of diet soda over the past 22 years, she concluded that there actually was a connection between cancer and the zero-calorie soft drink sweetener. “This was a surprise to us,” says Schernhammer, “because we really had not expected an association between aspartame and cancer.” Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was most noted among the men in their study, but that did not appear in women. They also saw an almost clinically significant increase in leukemia (“Study Linking Aspartame”).
Even though the studies have shown the possibility of a link, the people who conducted the studies do admit that it is possible for these results to be completely coincidental. Amy Subar of the National Cancer Institute points out that, even though men who drank diet soda in Schernhammer’s study seemed to have an increased risk of cancer, men who drank non-diet soda also had an increased risk, which means that it may be something other than aspartame that is causing the increased risk of cancer (“Study Linking Aspartame”). Our bodies filter everything through our kidneys, and when we start adding things to the water we drink, like dye, sodium, and artificial flavorings, it creates a chance for things to go awry. When one item of food or drink starts to contain upwards of 10 or 20 ingredients, it can be hard to find a specific cause for a health problem, so thinking of aspartame as the only possible cause for an increased risk of cancer would be ignoring tons of other possibilities.
It’s clear that, compared to water, diet soda isn’t as healthy for people as it is made out to be, but neither is any other beverage; however, compared to high-calorie soda, Environmental Nutrition suggests that the reduction in calories from switching to diet soda consumption does cause a body weight percentage loss of 2% over 6 months (“The Diet Soda-Weight Debate”). Just as the aspartame-cancer links could be pure chance, the link between diet soda consumption and obesity may also be misleading. It could be that people who are obese just drink more diet soda (Ludwig). People who used to drink regular soda could switch to drinking diet soda in order to help them lose weight, so they may have been overweight to begin with, simply because they used to drink regular soda. Diet soda can also give people a false sense of “being good,” according to an Environmental Nutrition article, and people may treat themselves to another high-calorie food because they think they’ve earned it by drinking a zero-calorie beverage (“The Diet Soda-Weight Debate”). Just like drinking too much soda can be harmful, too much water can cause health concerns as well. Consuming too much fluid without nutrients can cause a condition called hypervolemia, which happens when a person whose water intake is so much that it dilutes the blood and electrolytes, causing hypertension, rapid pulse, moist skin, etc. (Lippincott). That’s why it is super important to make sure we get the nutrients our bodies need in order to replace what our bodies lose, especially people who are very physically active. When they sweat, they don’t just lose water, so they can’t just use water to replace what their bodies need.
While the link between aspartame and health risk may be unproven, diet soda doesn’t really give its drinkers health benefits, either. Even though some people really do have good intentions while drinking diet soda instead of regular soda, it still is not a healthy drink for anyone’s body. Besides tasting fairly good, diet soda is just another excuse to not drink water. And, as Environmental Nutrition points out, there are other, healthier, no-calorie beverages available everywhere we go, like coffee and tea (“Diet Soda-Weight Debate”). It can be hard for someone who’s been drinking soda all his life to suddenly cut it away, so it actually would be beneficial to use diet soda to “wean people off sugary beverages” (Ludwig). But drinking them under the assumption that they are a healthy alternative to water is wrong. Consuming anything, whether it be a beverage or food, simply because it has no calories isn’t healthy, because our bodies still need nutrients to function, and almost everything that contains nutrients also contains calories. As for artificial sweeteners - aspartame and others- the fact that they contain no calories should not override the fact that they are artificial. Just because they haven’t been proven to be unhealthy, doesn’t mean that they are healthy.
***SOURCES***
“The Diet Soda-Weight Debate.” Environmental Nutrition. July 2012. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
Hellmich, Nanci. "Parents blind to early obesity in children - report." Sydney Morning Herald
2 Oct. 2012: n.p. Gale Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
Lippincott. Williams. Wilkins. Atlas of Pathophysiology: Third Edition. Philadelphia: Wolters
Kluwer, 2010. Print.
Ludwig, S. David. “Are Artificial Sweeteners a Good Alternative to Sugar?” Harvard Health
Letter 32.2 (2012): Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Dec. 2012.
“Study Linking Aspartame, Cancer Causes Controversy.” Morning Edition 26 Oct. 2012. Gale
Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
With high-calorie, high-fat, cheap food available on every street corner, it has become easy to blame food consumption for America’s obesity epidemic. However, what we choose to drink can affect our health just as much as, if not more than, our eating habits. That is why more and more people are cutting high-calorie sodas and going for little-to-no calorie, supposedly healthier options. Sure, we’re told that drinking eight glasses of water daily should be one of our health goals, but drinking only water can get a little boring. And why would a person choose to pack on the extra 155 calories from that can of Coca-Cola when she can have a can of Diet Coke and get almost the same taste for no calories? Diet sodas attempt to cut the calories that are in regular soda by developing sweeteners that don’t contain the calories of corn syrup, which is used in regular soda. Even though they do not contain calories, though, these sweeteners still do pose some potentially serious health concerns.
There are many reasons people prefer soft drinks to juice or plain water. Most sodas have a taste that water can’t compare to. Some people like the light, citrusy flavors of 7Up and Sprite, while others go for a sweeter tasting soda, like Coca-Cola. They’re all carbonated, so the fizziness adds to the already-sweet flavor. But even though there are tons of different flavors, most of the non-diet soda is sweetened with the same thing: corn syrup, which is being used as a cheaper alternative to sugar in more and more foods and beverages. But because it is artificially made, the human body doesn’t recognize it as sugar to be used as energy, so it is stored as fat. Excessive consumption of corn syrup can lead to increased levels of triglycerides, liver damage, and diabetes (Ludwig).
In order to try to combat the use of corn syrup in almost everything we consume, there have been quite a few no-calorie sweeteners being introduced into the food and drink markets, but the one used specifically in diet soda is aspartame. A sweetener that made the beverages people know and love taste good, but without the calories, was a huge breakthrough, especially since people have become more aware of the dangers of corn syrup in recent years. A study done by epidemiologist Tala Fakhouri showed that the consumption of diet soda has gone up 5% since 2000 (Hellmich). The study also concluded that the number of calories an average person consumes through regular soda daily has dropped from 150 to 91, thanks to the increased consumption of diet soda (Hellmich).
However, according to an article in Environmental Nutrition, turning to zero-calorie drinks to help control calorie intake and ultimately weight may be a lost cause. In fact, a study done by the University of Texas shows that drinking diet sodas may actually do the opposite in terms of weight management (“Diet Soda-Weight Debate”). Not only did the people who drank diet soda regularly have bigger waists than those who did not consume diet soda at all, but the consumption of diet soda has also been linked to an increased risk for stroke (“Diet Soda-Weight Debate”). Even though the FDA deemed the sweetener safe in the 1980’s, the health effects of aspartame have been highly debated for a long time (“Study Linking Aspartame”). A radio broadcast from NPR News examined a survey linking the diet soda sweetener to an increased risk of blood cancer. Tests done on lab rats found that aspartame could increase the risk of cancer, which intrigued Eva Schernhammer of Brigham & Women’s Hospital (“Study Linking Aspartame”). After she conducted some surveys asking people about their intake of diet soda over the past 22 years, she concluded that there actually was a connection between cancer and the zero-calorie soft drink sweetener. “This was a surprise to us,” says Schernhammer, “because we really had not expected an association between aspartame and cancer.” Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was most noted among the men in their study, but that did not appear in women. They also saw an almost clinically significant increase in leukemia (“Study Linking Aspartame”).
Even though the studies have shown the possibility of a link, the people who conducted the studies do admit that it is possible for these results to be completely coincidental. Amy Subar of the National Cancer Institute points out that, even though men who drank diet soda in Schernhammer’s study seemed to have an increased risk of cancer, men who drank non-diet soda also had an increased risk, which means that it may be something other than aspartame that is causing the increased risk of cancer (“Study Linking Aspartame”). Our bodies filter everything through our kidneys, and when we start adding things to the water we drink, like dye, sodium, and artificial flavorings, it creates a chance for things to go awry. When one item of food or drink starts to contain upwards of 10 or 20 ingredients, it can be hard to find a specific cause for a health problem, so thinking of aspartame as the only possible cause for an increased risk of cancer would be ignoring tons of other possibilities.
It’s clear that, compared to water, diet soda isn’t as healthy for people as it is made out to be, but neither is any other beverage; however, compared to high-calorie soda, Environmental Nutrition suggests that the reduction in calories from switching to diet soda consumption does cause a body weight percentage loss of 2% over 6 months (“The Diet Soda-Weight Debate”). Just as the aspartame-cancer links could be pure chance, the link between diet soda consumption and obesity may also be misleading. It could be that people who are obese just drink more diet soda (Ludwig). People who used to drink regular soda could switch to drinking diet soda in order to help them lose weight, so they may have been overweight to begin with, simply because they used to drink regular soda. Diet soda can also give people a false sense of “being good,” according to an Environmental Nutrition article, and people may treat themselves to another high-calorie food because they think they’ve earned it by drinking a zero-calorie beverage (“The Diet Soda-Weight Debate”). Just like drinking too much soda can be harmful, too much water can cause health concerns as well. Consuming too much fluid without nutrients can cause a condition called hypervolemia, which happens when a person whose water intake is so much that it dilutes the blood and electrolytes, causing hypertension, rapid pulse, moist skin, etc. (Lippincott). That’s why it is super important to make sure we get the nutrients our bodies need in order to replace what our bodies lose, especially people who are very physically active. When they sweat, they don’t just lose water, so they can’t just use water to replace what their bodies need.
While the link between aspartame and health risk may be unproven, diet soda doesn’t really give its drinkers health benefits, either. Even though some people really do have good intentions while drinking diet soda instead of regular soda, it still is not a healthy drink for anyone’s body. Besides tasting fairly good, diet soda is just another excuse to not drink water. And, as Environmental Nutrition points out, there are other, healthier, no-calorie beverages available everywhere we go, like coffee and tea (“Diet Soda-Weight Debate”). It can be hard for someone who’s been drinking soda all his life to suddenly cut it away, so it actually would be beneficial to use diet soda to “wean people off sugary beverages” (Ludwig). But drinking them under the assumption that they are a healthy alternative to water is wrong. Consuming anything, whether it be a beverage or food, simply because it has no calories isn’t healthy, because our bodies still need nutrients to function, and almost everything that contains nutrients also contains calories. As for artificial sweeteners - aspartame and others- the fact that they contain no calories should not override the fact that they are artificial. Just because they haven’t been proven to be unhealthy, doesn’t mean that they are healthy.
***SOURCES***
“The Diet Soda-Weight Debate.” Environmental Nutrition. July 2012. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
Hellmich, Nanci. "Parents blind to early obesity in children - report." Sydney Morning Herald
2 Oct. 2012: n.p. Gale Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
Lippincott. Williams. Wilkins. Atlas of Pathophysiology: Third Edition. Philadelphia: Wolters
Kluwer, 2010. Print.
Ludwig, S. David. “Are Artificial Sweeteners a Good Alternative to Sugar?” Harvard Health
Letter 32.2 (2012): Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Dec. 2012.
“Study Linking Aspartame, Cancer Causes Controversy.” Morning Edition 26 Oct. 2012. Gale
Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
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