Diet sodas?

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Sara3066
Sara3066 Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi! So I've heard that diet sodas cause you to gain weight, even the zero calorie kind. I'd hate to stop drinking diet coke, even though I have it around once a week. :( Is there any truth to this?
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Replies

  • SkinnyChemicals
    SkinnyChemicals Posts: 86
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    None at all. Its literally impossible to gain extra fat when your drinking something with less then one calorie per bottle.
  • heytherestephy
    heytherestephy Posts: 356 Member
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    The carbonation will probably bloat you but aside from that, no. I drink diet soda when I'm at work because I work in food service and the temptation to eat everything in front of me is pretty high lol so I drink a couple a night just to curb the sweet craving and fill me up a little.

    Note, I only work 3 days a week, 9 hour shifts and I don't drink soda at all outside of work.
  • EllaNovella
    EllaNovella Posts: 351
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    I looove coke zero! You can drink the zero drinks and you won't get fat... I've heard they cause some people to crave more carbs and thats why they gain weight
  • Anastasia0511
    Anastasia0511 Posts: 372 Member
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    Hi! So I've heard that diet sodas cause you to gain weight, even the zero calorie kind. I'd hate to stop drinking diet coke, even though I have it around once a week. :( Is there any truth to this?

    True, read more about it online. They might as well take the word "diet" out of it and just sell it as Soda. Also some of the stuff is carcinogenic and causes cancer. Coke, Pepsi, dark soda's containing caramel coloring in it and Coke has been told to start putting warning labels on the side of their products saying that it's carcinogenic. Not sure about Pepsi if they have done it already or not. I do not drink any type of soda and never have.

    Edited, typos.
  • 70davis
    70davis Posts: 348 Member
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    Bump
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Hi! So I've heard that diet sodas cause you to gain weight, even the zero calorie kind. I'd hate to stop drinking diet coke, even though I have it around once a week. :( Is there any truth to this?

    Diet soda is fine in moderation. If you were exceeding a full case per day I would consider scaling it back a bit, but not for weight loss reasons.
  • GrAlVt
    GrAlVt Posts: 42
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    There's virtually no way you can drink something with near zero calories and store fat. That said, diet soda is made of liquid, so it's not neutral to the body. If there's anything like sugar or glucose in it, that can cause an insulin spike. Among other chemicals, that would promote the storage of caloric intake as fat, but those calories would have to come from a different food. So, diet soda 'alone' shouldn't make you store any additional fat.
  • MeganDominique
    MeganDominique Posts: 229 Member
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    Diet soda will never be consumed by my lips..generally anything with the words "fat free, diet or light " have triple the chemicals. Might not cause weight gain but maybe more things like cancer. not trying to scare anyone but just passing it on, if your going to drink soda drink the real stuff.

    I dont drink pop, but its the number one trigger in obesity..having problems lossing weight ? cut it out and see what happens ;)
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Hi! So I've heard that diet sodas cause you to gain weight, even the zero calorie kind. I'd hate to stop drinking diet coke, even though I have it around once a week. :( Is there any truth to this?

    True, read more about it online. They might as well take the word "diet" out of it and just sell it as Soda. Also some of the stuff is carcinogenic and causes cancer. Coke, Pepsi, dark soda's containing caramel coloring in it and Coke has been told be start putting warning labels on the side of their products. Not sure about Pepsi if they have done it already or not. I do not drink any type of soda and never have.

    Do you have any peer reviewed research that supports the above? You're making very, very bold claims here that I believe are alarmist and not true.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    There's virtually no way you can drink something with near zero calories and store fat. That said, diet soda is made of liquid, so it's not neutral to the body. If there's anything like sugar or glucose in it, that can cause an insulin spike. Among other chemicals, that would promote the storage of caloric intake as fat, but those calories would have to come from a different food. So, diet soda 'alone' shouldn't make you store any additional fat.

    There are also conflicting studies about the effect of non nutritive sweeteners on gut hormones. I don't believe we can say with certainty that they raise insulin at this point.
  • Anastasia0511
    Anastasia0511 Posts: 372 Member
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    Hi! So I've heard that diet sodas cause you to gain weight, even the zero calorie kind. I'd hate to stop drinking diet coke, even though I have it around once a week. :( Is there any truth to this?

    True, read more about it online. They might as well take the word "diet" out of it and just sell it as Soda. Also some of the stuff is carcinogenic and causes cancer. Coke, Pepsi, dark soda's containing caramel coloring in it and Coke has been told be start putting warning labels on the side of their products. Not sure about Pepsi if they have done it already or not. I do not drink any type of soda and never have.

    Do you have any peer reviewed research that supports the above? You're making very, very bold claims here that I believe are alarmist and not true.

    Search the internet its out there. And yeah, my mom works in the medical industry in and around cancer patients and herself has cancer and her oncologist is the one that gave us the information. So yeah, I'd say I heard it correctly.
  • Snail313
    Snail313 Posts: 214 Member
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    I don't know but I drink one a day along with my 1-2 cups of coffee a day. The rest of the day is mostly water. I don't see any harm in 1 or 2 sodas a day.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    Hi! So I've heard that diet sodas cause you to gain weight, even the zero calorie kind. I'd hate to stop drinking diet coke, even though I have it around once a week. :( Is there any truth to this?

    True, read more about it online. They might as well take the word "diet" out of it and just sell it as Soda. Also some of the stuff is carcinogenic and causes cancer. Coke, Pepsi, dark soda's containing caramel coloring in it and Coke has been told be start putting warning labels on the side of their products. Not sure about Pepsi if they have done it already or not. I do not drink any type of soda and never have.

    Do you have any peer reviewed research that supports the above? You're making very, very bold claims here that I believe are alarmist and not true.

    Search the internet its out there. And yeah, my mom works in the medical industry in and around cancer patients and herself has cancer and her oncologist is the one that gave us the information. So yeah, I'd say I heard it correctly.

    I have done research on this and since you are the one making claims that diet soda causes cancer, you should provide evidence.

    What type of cancer does it cause? What is the chemical that causes the cancer? What dosage limits are considered cancer-causing?

    Just because you read it on the internet, doesn't make it true. If you can show actual peer reviewed research that indicates a causative link between diet soda and cancer, then we have something to go on. Until then this is alarmism.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    It's a non-issue for me because I don't like the taste of these sweeteners but I thought this article was more even-handed and science based than not:
    In summary, if you must drink a sweet beverage (or add sweetener to your coffee or tea) you are better off using a substitute for sugar than you are using sugar. But if you want to be really sure, and you want to kick the habit of needing a sweet taste, you’re probably better off avoiding substitute sweeteners altogether. If you want to be 100% safe, drink water. Just don’t make it bottled water (though that’s a whole other story). And don’t fly in airplanes or drive in cars, either.

    What are the side effects of aspartame, stevia, and other sugar substitutes?
    http://eatingacademy.com/nutrition/what-are-the-side-effects-of-aspartame-stevia-and-other-sugar-substitutes
  • Anastasia0511
    Anastasia0511 Posts: 372 Member
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    Hi! So I've heard that diet sodas cause you to gain weight, even the zero calorie kind. I'd hate to stop drinking diet coke, even though I have it around once a week. :( Is there any truth to this?

    True, read more about it online. They might as well take the word "diet" out of it and just sell it as Soda. Also some of the stuff is carcinogenic and causes cancer. Coke, Pepsi, dark soda's containing caramel coloring in it and Coke has been told be start putting warning labels on the side of their products. Not sure about Pepsi if they have done it already or not. I do not drink any type of soda and never have.

    Do you have any peer reviewed research that supports the above? You're making very, very bold claims here that I believe are alarmist and not true.

    Search the internet its out there. And yeah, my mom works in the medical industry in and around cancer patients and herself has cancer and her oncologist is the one that gave us the information. So yeah, I'd say I heard it correctly.

    I have done research on this and since you are the one making claims that diet soda causes cancer, you should provide evidence.

    What type of cancer does it cause? What is the chemical that causes the cancer? What dosage limits are considered cancer-causing?

    Just because you read it on the internet, doesn't make it true. If you can show actual peer reviewed research that indicates a causative link between diet soda and cancer, then we have something to go on. Until then this is alarmism.

    I told you an oncologist told me that caramel coloring is carcinogenic. I am going to listen to him VS you. If I am reading stuff from a medical site I trust it to be true. I do not know the links he showed me I was in the hospital with the doctor while reading them. No one is trying to scare anyone. Its just something I was told and read while visiting my mom and passed it along.
  • MeganDominique
    MeganDominique Posts: 229 Member
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    Health concerns


    In an independent study by researchers with the Framingham Heart Study in Massachusetts, soda consumption correlated with increased incidence of metabolic syndrome. Of the 9,000 males and females studied, soda drinkers were at 48% higher risk for metabolic syndrome, which involves weight gain and elevated blood sugar. No significant difference in these findings was observed between sugary sodas and diet drinks. The researchers noted that diet soda drinkers were less likely to consume healthy foods, and that drinking diet soda flavored with artificial sweeteners more than likely increases cravings for sugar-flavored sweets.[6]

    A preliminary abstract presented by the University of Miami's Hannah Gardener linked daily consumption of diet soda to a 61% higher incidence of "vascular events" such as strokes and heart attacks, although Gardener acknowledged that these results could not be conclusively linked to harmful effects of diet soda itself, and may be the result of other behaviors.[7] The author stated that confirmation was required prior to drawing conclusions. These studies were published as abstracts and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.[8]

    Among individuals who drink several regular sodas per day, diet soda may be a better choice, according to a website on dieting.[9] Studies have also indicated that body mass gain is an unlikely consequence of artificial sweetener consumption.[10][11]

    Studies in cattle and rats suggest that artificial sweeteners cause body weight gain, theoretically because of a faulty insulin response. Rats given sweeteners have steadily increased caloric intake, increased body weight, and increased adiposity (fatness).[12] Adding saccharin to the food of calves increases their body weight as well.[13]

    A study of almost 60,000 pregnant Danish women found that preterm birth was more common in women who drank diet soda than in those who drank sugar-sweetened soda. The study was not designed to establish a cause and effect relationship.[14][15]


    Just a couple of the reasons not to drink diet soda ;) dr oz has mentioned all if not many and these are conducted studies you can get the results of online from the universities or by requesting them. I wont personally be requesting them as i have no need to
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    I told you an oncologist told me that caramel coloring is carcinogenic. I am going to listen to him VS you. If I am reading stuff from a medical site I trust it to be true. I do not know the links he showed me I was in the hospital with the doctor while reading them. No one is trying to scare anyone. Its just something I was told and read while visiting my mom and passed it along.

    And this is why dosage and context are critical when trying to make claims about toxicity.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17619857

    You'd need to consume an impossible amount of 4-methylimidazole (this is the chemical in the caramel coloring) to even remotely approach a carcinogenic risk.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
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    Hi! So I've heard that diet sodas cause you to gain weight, even the zero calorie kind. I'd hate to stop drinking diet coke, even though I have it around once a week. :( Is there any truth to this?

    True, read more about it online. They might as well take the word "diet" out of it and just sell it as Soda. Also some of the stuff is carcinogenic and causes cancer. Coke, Pepsi, dark soda's containing caramel coloring in it and Coke has been told be start putting warning labels on the side of their products. Not sure about Pepsi if they have done it already or not. I do not drink any type of soda and never have.

    Do you have any peer reviewed research that supports the above? You're making very, very bold claims here that I believe are alarmist and not true.

    Search the internet its out there. And yeah, my mom works in the medical industry in and around cancer patients and herself has cancer and her oncologist is the one that gave us the information. So yeah, I'd say I heard it correctly.

    I have done research on this and since you are the one making claims that diet soda causes cancer, you should provide evidence.

    What type of cancer does it cause? What is the chemical that causes the cancer? What dosage limits are considered cancer-causing?

    Just because you read it on the internet, doesn't make it true. If you can show actual peer reviewed research that indicates a causative link between diet soda and cancer, then we have something to go on. Until then this is alarmism.




    Do you even know what a carcinogen is? If you did then maybe you will understand.

    Carcinogen feed the already existing cancer cells that live in our bodies. Antioxidants starve them. Artificial sweeteners are most definitely a carcinogen.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    *sigh*
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    Carcinogen feed the already existing cancer cells that live in our bodies. Antioxidants starve them. Artificial sweeteners are most definitely a carcinogen.
    I thought all that antioxidant research on cancer didn't pan out and the only reason that stuff still persists is marketing? Could be wrong though, of course.

    ETA:
    @Megan
    Those studies you linked to are pretty much useless. They might be a good place to form a hypothesis from but they're not good for much else...in my opinion of course.

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