For you diet soda drinkers out there...

Not losing weight fast enough? Diet soda is worse for you than regular soda. Anyone wanting a healthy life style shouldn't drink any sodas. If you must, at least stay away from the fake sugar. The aspartame used in diet sodas also causes vitamins to be leached from your bodies and it is also highly carcinogenic. Studies have found that bodies react to fake sugar in the same way as real sugar. It might not have as many calories but your body still creates fat in response.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41479869/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/daily-diet-soda-tied-higher-risk-stroke-heart-attack/#.UEJIpdZlSDk

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/28/us-diet-drinks-health-idUSBRE82R1BL20120328

I'm posting this for my mom and aunts who are diet coke addicts.

When you read research, please remember that correlation does not equal causation. Here it is stated in the WebMD article you cited:

"Diet Soda No Smoking Gun

Fowler is quick to note that a study of this kind does not prove that diet soda causes obesity. More likely, she says, it shows that something linked to diet soda drinking is also linked to obesity.

'One possible part of the explanation is that people who see they are beginning to gain weight may be more likely to switch from regular to diet soda,' Fowler suggests. 'But despite their switching, their weight may continue to grow for other reasons. So diet soft-drink use is a marker for overweight and obesity.' "

From the MSNBC article:

"For example, it’s possible that people who drink diet sodas are replacing those saved sugar calories with other unhealthy choices, Gardener said.

That explanation makes a lot of sense to Dr. Nehal N. Mehta, director of inflammatory risk cardiology at the University of Pennsylvania. Although the researchers know the total calories study volunteers were consuming, they weren’t able to account for unhealthy eating habits, Mehta said.

'Maybe along with the diet soda, people are grabbing a Big Mac and a large fries,' Mehta said. 'Soda may not be the villain. It may be the other things people consume in association with diet soda. After all, what goes better with pizza or fries than a soda?' "

Or just simply choose selzer water, they have a lot of great flavors out there and they are perfect for suppressing that bubbly carbination grave you get when you grave the sodas

Sigh.....this again. Sounds faulty so far, but gimme a minute to read your links.

edited to add: Okay. I'm back. And this was all BS.

Both the webmd and reuters links only showed that fat people drink diet soda. It did NOT show that drinking the soda made them fat. Basically, if you're fat, you're probably drinking diet soda. If you're thin, you're more likely to drink regular soda. In other words, correlation, not causation.

The msnbc link was slightly better, in at least they are showing a link between food coloring and health risks. Thin, but that's something.

I didn't see anything about soda leeching vitamins from your bloodstream. And I'd really love to hear your theory about how something with zero calories can turn into fat. I bet that one is a fun story. I bet it's all sciencey and stuff.

Not losing weight fast enough? Diet soda is worse for you than regular soda. Anyone wanting a healthy life style shouldn't drink any sodas. If you must, at least stay away from the fake sugar. The aspartame used in diet sodas also causes vitamins to be leached from your bodies and it is also highly carcinogenic. Studies have found that bodies react to fake sugar in the same way as real sugar. It might not have as many calories but your body still creates fat in response.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink-more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41479869/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/daily-diet-soda-tied-higher-risk-stroke-heart-attack/#.UEJIpdZlSDk

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/28/us-diet-drinks-health-idUSBRE82R1BL20120328

I'm posting this for my mom and aunts who are diet coke addicts.

When you read research, please remember that correlation does not equal causation. Here it is stated in the WebMD article you cited:

"Diet Soda No Smoking Gun

Fowler is quick to note that a study of this kind does not prove that diet soda causes obesity. More likely, she says, it shows that something linked to diet soda drinking is also linked to obesity.

'One possible part of the explanation is that people who see they are beginning to gain weight may be more likely to switch from regular to diet soda,' Fowler suggests. 'But despite their switching, their weight may continue to grow for other reasons. So diet soft-drink use is a marker for overweight and obesity.' "

From the MSNBC article:

"For example, it’s possible that people who drink diet sodas are replacing those saved sugar calories with other unhealthy choices, Gardener said.

That explanation makes a lot of sense to Dr. Nehal N. Mehta, director of inflammatory risk cardiology at the University of Pennsylvania. Although the researchers know the total calories study volunteers were consuming, they weren’t able to account for unhealthy eating habits, Mehta said.

'Maybe along with the diet soda, people are grabbing a Big Mac and a large fries,' Mehta said. 'Soda may not be the villain. It may be the other things people consume in association with diet soda. After all, what goes better with pizza or fries than a soda?' "

^^^^^Best reply
But I will add that I have found that diet soda's do make me crave other foods and for that reason I don't drink them. Years after realizing this research came out supporting this also. One must remember that as with anything research can be made to support either side of this issue by refusing to acknowledge the other side, only by addressing the other side can one give research real value. I will add that just as we are each individuals we must listen to our own bodies.

Hasnt had a negative impact on my weight loss.

Mine either. However ^ this guys is way more impressive.

By that logic, my body should be "creating fat" and I shouldn't be able to see my lovely abs in the mirror every morning.

I drink diet ginger ale ....a few a week. I have NO problem losing weight.

I drink Diet Water. 0 calories. 1 1/2 gallons a day.

Keep being awesome.

By that logic, my body should be "creating fat" and I shouldn't be able to see my lovely abs in the mirror every morning.

Amen to this!!! Haha

I drink diet ginger ale ....a few a week. I have NO problem losing weight.

same here. i also add rum and muddled limes to it sometimes :laugh:

I'm glad to see others reply to this nonsense. I don't know why so many people feel the need to get sanctimonious about causes like this. I have had at least a dozen people over the past 20 years get in my face about drinking diet soda, and how bad it is for you. There is NO scientific proof that diet soda causes obesity. Do obese people drink diet soda? Of course!

As anecdotal evidence, about 8 years ago, I decided why not, I'll give it up. We bought a water cooler for the house, subscribed to a water delivery service, and went cold turkey on giving up all diet drinks (I don't drink any other soda or juice). For a little over a year, I stayed away from diet soda, and other than the initial 3-4 days of caffeine withdrawal headaches, I found no difference in my health or weight. Likewise when I started back to drinking diet soda, I didn't see a difference either.

If one day they come up with proof that diet soda is bad for you will I be completely surprised? No... It has some bizarre chemicals in it after all.

I drink diet ginger ale ....a few a week. I have NO problem losing weight.

same here. i also add rum and muddled limes to it sometimes :laugh:

Dark & Stormy!!

I drink a diet pop or diet red bull once a week. I try to stick with water, ice tea, and sparkling water but sometimes I really want a soda. Blaming a zero calorie drink for weight gain seems ridiculous in my mind.

I get so angry when people don't understand science! There is no evidence that diet sodas are bad for you!

blah blah blah blah... I like to think it was the nachos, and chocolate that made me fat and not the diet soda.