Diet soda, does it really make a difference?

of course picking something full of additives and chemicals over water would make a difference. Just try to give it up no matter what. Also, soda is very acid so drinking that every day could make serious damage to your stomach. If you crave for something sweet to drink have a fresh homemade juice, like orange juice or pineapple juice that are very low fat.

That question will certainly open a can of worms and all the fear mongering you may want to read so let me add my 2 cents... I do not buy into the fear mongering, the amount of aspartame that you would have to consume before it would be harmful is tremendous (for me at 250 lbs. I would have to consume over 20+ cans a day for an extended period of time). That being said I drink 2-3 Diet Pepsi a day along with my 100+ oz. of water and have lost a few pounds in the process.... I don't plan on quitting anytime soon but like I said it comes down to what you believe about it.... Best of Luck

It hasn't hindered my weight loss. However, I cut down quite a bit to one bottle (591ml). I use to drink 3 bottles a day.

I love Diet Pepsi but from everything I hear I know I should eliminate it. I don't buy the 12 packs I used to every week! Only if I am out once in a while, but honestly I have stopped craving it as much as I used to. My husband stopped drinking it 100% because he swore it was giving him major stomach issues. He hasn't had any sugar substitute since May and he feels so much better and less bloated. I would say if you love it that much just drink it in moderation....

That question will certainly open a can of worms and all the fear mongering you may want to read so let me add my 2 cents... I do not by into the fear mongering, the amount of aspartame that you would have to consume before it would be harmful is tremendous (for me at 250 lbs. I would have to consume over 20+ cans a day). That being said I drink 2-3 Diet Pepsi a day along with my 100+ oz. of water and have lost a few pounds in the process.... I don't plan on quitting anytime soon but like I said it comes down to what you believe about it.... Best of Luck

This dude knows what's up. Do what works for you. I drink diet every now and then because of medical issues I have to severely limit my sugar so I do what I can (I have splenda sometimes, oh nooooo). Bottom line: Listen to your body.

No, it does not make a difference. At all.

You would have to look at the label to find the name of the precise artificial sweetener in yours, then go on google and find good research on that sweetener not just articles that can be written by anyone. Then analyze the levels it takes to do anything. Then decide for yourself.

I drink it. I try to limit myself to one a day, but I don't freak out when I drink more. I try to choose water over soda, but to be honest, I love the taste of soda and I don't want to give it up completely.

I know this doesn't answer your question, but I thought you'd like to know that others are in the same boat.

Just my opinion but it seems that there are two issues being bandied about here. One is Diet Coke bad for you and two are artificial sweeteners bad for you.
On the first question, yes diet cokes are not good for you but they may take a loooooooog time to have an effect. All carbonated drinks have been shown to leach calcium from your body so you may develop more of a tendency to have osteoporosis. Than there is the artificial additives and the psychological factors mentioned in previous posts.
Question two, yes there are clear indications that some artificial sweeteners are bad and the jury is still out on others. As one posters Mamma said they do have an affect on how you body handles sugar. Your brain gets a signal that you are eating sweet (sugar) and releases insulin to covert what it doesn't need to fat. Excess insulin in your body is not good in and of itself but it also tends to lead to a blunting of future response to sweet taste later.

Now both of those indicate Diet soda is bad for you but if it helps you avoid worse things like real sweets and food so you can improve your weight or health in other ways than as the lesser of two evils, DO IT.

All of life is a trade off of things, seek balance.

JMO mileage may vary.

Get rid of it, and never look back!


Diet soda is doing these 7 awful things to your body
TODAY Health
Oct. 19, 2012 at 8:31 AM ET


nbcnews.com /
Pop quiz! What's the single biggest source of calories for Americans? White bread? Big Macs? Actually, try soda. The average American drinks about two cans of the stuff every day. "But I drink diet soda," you say. "With no calories or sugar, it's the perfect alternative for weight watchers...Right?"

Not so fast. Before you pop the top off the caramel-colored bubbly, know this: guzzling diet soda comes with its own set of side effects that may harm your health--from kickstarting kidney problems to adding inches to your waistline.

Unfortunately, diet soda is more in vogue than ever. Kids consume the stuff at more than double the rate of last decade, according to research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Among adults, consumption has grown almost 25 percent.

But knowing these 7 side effects of drinking diet soda may help you kick the can for good.

Kidney Problems

Here's something you didn't know about your diet soda: It might be bad for your kidneys. In an 11-year-long Harvard Medical School study of more than 3,000 women, researchers found that diet cola is associated with a two-fold increased risk for kidney decline. Kidney function started declining when women drank more than two sodas a day. Even more interesting: Since kidney decline was not associated with sugar-sweetened sodas, researchers suspect that the diet sweeteners are responsible.

Messed-Up Metabolism

According to a 2008 University of Minnesota study of almost 10,000 adults, even just one diet soda a day is linked to a 34% higher risk of metabolic syndrome, the group of symptoms including belly fat and high cholesterol that puts you at risk for heart disease. Whether that link is attributed to an ingredient in diet soda or the drinkers' eating habits is unclear. But is that one can really worth it?

Obesity

You read that right: Diet soda doesn't help you lose weight after all. A University of Texas Health Science Center study found that the more diet sodas a person drank, the greater their risk of becoming overweight. Downing just two or more cans a day increased waistlines by 500%. Why? Artificial sweeteners can disrupt the body's natural ability to regulate calorie intake based on the sweetness of foods, suggested an animal study from Purdue University. That means people who consume diet foods might be more likely to overeat, because your body is being tricked into thinking it's eating sugar, and you crave more.

A Terrible Hangover

Your first bad decision was ordering that whiskey-and-diet-cola -- and you may make the next one sooner than you thought. Cocktails made with diet soda get you drunker, faster, according to a study out of the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia. That's because sugar-free mixers allow liquor to enter your bloodstream much quicker than those with sugar, leaving you with a bigger buzz.

Cell Damage

Diet sodas contain something many regular sodas don't: mold inhibitors. They go by the names sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate, and they're in nearly all diet sodas. But many regular sodas, such as Coke and Pepsi, don't contain this preservative.

That's bad news for diet drinkers. "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it - they knock it out altogether," Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology at the University of Sheffield in the U.K., told a British newspaper in 1999. The preservative has also been linked to hives, asthma, and other allergic conditions, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Since then, some companies have phased out sodium benzoate. Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi have replaced it with another preservative, potassium benzoate. Both sodium and potassium benzoate were classified by the Food Commission in the UK as mild irritants to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes.

Rotting Teeth

With a pH of 3.2, diet soda is very acidic. (As a point of reference, the pH of battery acid is 1. Water is 7.) The acid is what readily dissolves enamel, and just because a soda is diet doesn't make it acid-light. Adults who drink three or more sodas a day have worse dental health, says a University of Michigan analysis of dental checkup data. Soda drinkers had far greater decay, more missing teeth, and more fillings.

Reproductive Issues

Sometimes, the vessel for your beverage is just as harmful. Diet or not, soft drink cans are coated with the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA), which has been linked to everything from heart disease to obesity to reproductive problems. That's a lot of risktaking for one can of pop.

All soda is the same. They have BAD carbs and sugars and chems to make you CRAVE another Bad carb product. Thats just the SICK truth. (DRINK any type of SODA, you will CRAVE more SODA) diet, sugar free or whatever, its all the same.

This wasn't serious, was it? Do I need my sarcasm detector calibrated?

Okay so I've been drinking diet coke for a while. I ind that it keeps me from binging on sugary stuff such as cakes and candies since it satisfies my cravings for sweets. My question is, is drinking diet soda really that bad? if so, what are the negatives effects?

You'll read and hear all sorts of "bad" reasons, but unfortunately actual peer reviewed clinical studies trump opinions and anecdotes.
Having drank it for more than 25 years (diet Pepsi), I personally haven't experienced any of the "side effects" that many a "natural" site or Mercola has spoken of.
Just don't drink a case a day.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Me personally, I don't think artificial sweeteners are 100% safe. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion there. For me the keyword is artificial meaning it is fake, chemical, unnatural and with recent new additions to the sugar free fight, unnecessary. It seems to be squeezed into so much with little options to avoid it like instant drink packets, and simple gum in the grocery line. More or less I try to limit my intake. I was never a huge soda drinker, but liked one once and a while. I found I really like seltzer water. My go-to brand natural no sugar sweetener is Sweet-Leaf(specifically) Liquid Stevia. After trying a few from Sugar In The Raw( filled with malodextrin for a filler) to Stevita(which didn't agree with me and had a bitter after-taste), Sweet Leaf Stevia seemed to be the best quality I could find.

Raspberry Lemonade:
4oz water(or depending on size of your cup, my go to cup is huge)
1 bag Raspberry herbal tea
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
1 can seltzer water
Sweet-Leaf Liquid Stevia to taste


Steep raspberry tea in small amount of hot water for 2-3 minutes. Add ice to chill. In large glass(add more ice if you want) pour chilled raspberry tea, lemon juice, seltzer and 2-3 dropper-fulls of Sweetleaf Stevia mix, voila. Yummy. No sugar, no artificial anything. Aluminum cans are another story, hey I'm working on it but bottled seltzer goes flat too fast left in the fridge.

Well, don't quote me on this, but this is what my mama told me. Drinking diet soda, coke zero, or basically any sugar substitute throws off how your body responds to real sugar. When drinking a diet coke, your body is ready to process sugar and the calories along with it. But then it doesn't get any. After a while, your body gets used to that, and so when you do ingest real sugar, your body isn't able to process it as well. Kinda makes sense to me me.

Um no..... just no.......

^^ Um double no...nope

Believe the mantra "nothing is bad for you" at your own risk. Or "I've been doing it for x amount of years and I'm okay". Getting away with ingesting things that aren't good for you for a long duration is not a compelling reason to encourage others to do it.