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Coke Zero

illusionist121
illusionist121 Posts: 29 Member
edited March 2016 in Debate Club
So there's a fizzy drink with zero sugar and zero calories that tastes good, of course I'm talking about coke zero but how good/bad is it for you whilst on a strict diet?
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Replies

  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    As long as you're not allergic or have adverse reactions to any of the ingredients it is neither good nor bad.
  • candistyx
    candistyx Posts: 547 Member
    There's some relatively new research showing that artificial sweeteners such as those found in Coke Zero (interestingly though, not stevia) can alter your gut microbiome in a way that results in higher blood sugar levels. If you have risk factors for diabetes it might be worth bearing that in mind.

    Some reading material:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar
    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/artificial-sweeteners-may-disrupt-bodys-blood-sugar-controls/
  • illusionist121
    illusionist121 Posts: 29 Member
    I don't have it too often but it makes a nice change from water c:
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    As long as you're not allergic or have adverse reactions to any of the ingredients it is neither good nor bad.

  • illusionist121
    illusionist121 Posts: 29 Member
    Thank you I will definitely give it all a read c:
    candistyx wrote: »
    There's some relatively new research showing that artificial sweeteners such as those found in Coke Zero (interestingly though, not stevia) can alter your gut microbiome in a way that results in higher blood sugar levels. If you have risk factors for diabetes it might be worth bearing that in mind.

    Some reading material:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar
    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/artificial-sweeteners-may-disrupt-bodys-blood-sugar-controls/

  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    If you don't drink it often then
    candistyx wrote: »
    There's some relatively new research showing that artificial sweeteners such as those found in Coke Zero (interestingly though, not stevia) can alter your gut microbiome in a way that results in higher blood sugar levels. If you have risk factors for diabetes it might be worth bearing that in mind.

    Some reading material:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar
    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/artificial-sweeteners-may-disrupt-bodys-blood-sugar-controls/

    the study in bold is irrelevant to you since the 7(!) people studied were given the FDA’s maximum acceptable daily intake of saccharin.
  • illusionist121
    illusionist121 Posts: 29 Member
    I'm unsure what is considered often or a lot tbh , I have about 3 cans a week one on Friday Saturday and Sunday
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    If you don't drink it often then
    candistyx wrote: »
    There's some relatively new research showing that artificial sweeteners such as those found in Coke Zero (interestingly though, not stevia) can alter your gut microbiome in a way that results in higher blood sugar levels. If you have risk factors for diabetes it might be worth bearing that in mind.

    Some reading material:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar
    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/artificial-sweeteners-may-disrupt-bodys-blood-sugar-controls/

    the study in bold is irrelevant to you since the 7(!) people studied were given the FDA’s maximum acceptable daily intake of saccharin.

  • amyjane_g
    amyjane_g Posts: 33 Member
    Coke Zero does not contain any of the following:
    • Calories
    • Fat
    • Carbohydrates
    • Cholesterol
    • Sugars

    It also provides zero nutritional benefits. and does not contain any protein, fibre, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium or iron...

    Makes you wonder what it actually does contain.... (If anything)
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    well after a bit of googling it would appear that Coke Zero doesn't contain Saccharin but uses Aspartame instead.

    from https://beverageinstitute.org/article/saccharin/
    Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI)

    The US FDA has set the ADI for saccharin for children and adults at 5 mg/kg body weight. This means a 150-pound (68 kg) person can safely consume 340 mg of saccharin every day over his or her lifetime without adverse effects. The amount of saccharin in beverages sold by The Coca-Cola Company in the U.S. ranges from 7 mg per 12-fl. oz. serving in Diet Fanta Wild Cherry frozen carbonated beverageto 95 mg per 12-fl. oz. serving in Tab.*

    *Amounts as of May 2012; rounded up to the nearest 5 mg.

    That indicates that from a saccharin point of view a 150lb person could have 48 cans of Diet Fanta Wild Cherry frozen or 3 cans of Tab per day and be under the ADI.

    from same site:
    In the U.S., the FDA is responsible for setting the ADI for all food additives, including aspartame. In other countries, ADIs are established by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The US FDA has set the ADI for aspartame at 50 mg/kg body weight for adults and children. The amount of low- and no-calorie sweeteners used to sweeten foods and beverages is very small, and far below ADI levels. For example, a 154-pound (70 kg) person would need to drink about 18 12-fl. oz. cans per day of a diet soda sweetened solely with aspartame in order to exceed the ADI (assuming no other sources of aspartame are in the diet).

    Note :12lf oz is a 330mls UK standard can.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    amyjane_g wrote: »
    Coke Zero does not contain any of the following:
    • Calories
    • Fat
    • Carbohydrates
    • Cholesterol
    • Sugars

    It also provides zero nutritional benefits. and does not contain any protein, fibre, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium or iron...

    Makes you wonder what it actually does contain.... (If anything)

    Water. 90+% of it is water. All things you listed are true for water.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    edited March 2016
    short answer : from an artificial sweetener point of view a few cans per week is not going to be a problem.

    And I still stand by
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    As long as you're not allergic or have adverse reactions to any of the ingredients it is neither good nor bad.

  • illusionist121
    illusionist121 Posts: 29 Member
    Great, thank you
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    short answer : from an artificial sweetener point of view a few cans per week is not going to be a problem.

    And I still stand by
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    As long as you're not allergic or have adverse reactions to any of the ingredients it is neither good nor bad.

  • amyjane_g
    amyjane_g Posts: 33 Member
    stevencloser wrote: »
    amyjane_g wrote: »
    Coke Zero does not contain any of the following:
    • Calories
    • Fat
    • Carbohydrates
    • Cholesterol
    • Sugars

    It also provides zero nutritional benefits. and does not contain any protein, fibre, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium or iron...

    Makes you wonder what it actually does contain.... (If anything)

    Water. 90+% of it is water. All things you listed are true for water.

    Whilst I agree that the main ingredient in coke zero is (carbonated) water. It also contains the following, which water does not:
    • Carbonated Water
    • Colour (Caramel E150d)
    • Phosphoric Acid
    • Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K)
    • Natural Flavourings: Including Caffeine, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrate)

    Contains a Source of Phenylalanine - which is 50% of aspartame......
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Here is some information that may be helpful:

    http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/artificial-sweeteners/art-20046936?pg=1
    The FDA has also established an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for each artificial sweetener. This is the maximum amount considered safe to consume each day over the course of your lifetime. ADIs are intended to be about 100 times less than the smallest amount that might cause health concerns.

    http://www.eatright.org/resource/food/nutrition/dietary-guidelines-and-myplate/sugar-substitutes-how-much-is-too-much
    Regulatory agencies set Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) levels for each artificial sweetener. The ADI is the maximum amount of a food additive that can be safely consumed on a daily basis over a person's lifetime without any adverse effects. Although the number of diet soft drinks and other "sugar free" products we devour may seem high, the U.S. intake of sugar substitutes is actually well below the ADI even for the heaviest users, namely dieters, adults, children with diabetes and women of child-bearing age.

    To get an idea of how much sugar substitutes can be consumed without adverse effects, consider the following examples: A 150-pound adult can safely consume 2.4 cans of 12-ounce soda or 8.6 packets of sweetener containing saccharin daily. Similarly, that same adult can safely consume 17 cans of 12-ounce soda or 97.4 packets of artificial sweetener containing aspartame daily and not be adversely affected. Meanwhile, the ADI for saccharin for a 50-pound child is .8 of a 12-ounce can of soda daily and 2.8 packets of sweetener, or 5.6 cans of soda and 32.4 packets of artificial sweetener containing aspartame.

    And here's a discussion of the study referenced above: http://www.bio.davidson.edu/courses/genomics/309redesigned/papers_current/sequencing/metagnomics/2014artificial_sweet_comm.pdf

    It's kind of interesting, but since I eat a healthy diet, don't seem to have any issue with my gut bacteria, and have shown no tendencies toward IR even before losing weight (and currently have no risk factors), I'm not concerned about drinking an occasional diet coke or other artificially sweetened beverage (even without getting into the differences between the various options). I wouldn't drink Coke Zero, but that's purely a taste preference! ;-)

    For me, a diet soda occasionally hits the spot when I want something besides water and don't want to snack. It never makes me hungrier, quite the opposite, and as I lost weight at a normal rate when drinking it I'm not concerned that it interferes with weight loss or is making me fat.

    I don't know about diet sodas, but I do know the stats on soda drinkers in general is that the consumption curve is weird and that lots of people drink little, some drink moderate amounts, but heavy users tend to be really, really heavy users (this is something I picked up from Sugar, Salt, Fat). Most of the studies I've seen about heavy soda use similarly focus on that really heavy amount. I certainly would cut back if I were drinking a whole lot. I don't see 3 cans/week as a whole lot, personally.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    amyjane_g wrote: »
    stevencloser wrote: »
    amyjane_g wrote: »
    Coke Zero does not contain any of the following:
    • Calories
    • Fat
    • Carbohydrates
    • Cholesterol
    • Sugars

    It also provides zero nutritional benefits. and does not contain any protein, fibre, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium or iron...

    Makes you wonder what it actually does contain.... (If anything)

    Water. 90+% of it is water. All things you listed are true for water.

    Whilst I agree that the main ingredient in coke zero is (carbonated) water. It also contains the following, which water does not:
    • Carbonated Water
    • Colour (Caramel E150d)
    • Phosphoric Acid
    • Sweeteners (Aspartame, Acesulfame K)
    • Natural Flavourings: Including Caffeine, Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrate)

    Contains a Source of Phenylalanine - which is 50% of aspartame......

    Do you have PKU? Cause that's the only reason to be concerned about phenylanine. As it is an amino acid, you'd have to be in A low protein diet with PKU I heard.
  • candistyx
    candistyx Posts: 547 Member
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    If you don't drink it often then
    candistyx wrote: »
    There's some relatively new research showing that artificial sweeteners such as those found in Coke Zero (interestingly though, not stevia) can alter your gut microbiome in a way that results in higher blood sugar levels. If you have risk factors for diabetes it might be worth bearing that in mind.

    Some reading material:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar
    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/artificial-sweeteners-may-disrupt-bodys-blood-sugar-controls/

    the study in bold is irrelevant to you since the 7(!) people studied were given the FDA’s maximum acceptable daily intake of saccharin.

    Equivalent to about 18 cans of diet drink. I used to drink over 2L a day of diet coke so it's entirely achievable to reach that level.

    And sure it's preliminary research but it's worth bearing in mind, especially if you have relatives with type 2 diabetes. Why take the risk if you don't have to. I drink water now.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    candistyx wrote: »
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    If you don't drink it often then
    candistyx wrote: »
    There's some relatively new research showing that artificial sweeteners such as those found in Coke Zero (interestingly though, not stevia) can alter your gut microbiome in a way that results in higher blood sugar levels. If you have risk factors for diabetes it might be worth bearing that in mind.

    Some reading material:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar
    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/artificial-sweeteners-may-disrupt-bodys-blood-sugar-controls/

    the study in bold is irrelevant to you since the 7(!) people studied were given the FDA’s maximum acceptable daily intake of saccharin.

    Equivalent to about 18 cans of diet drink. I used to drink over 2L a day of diet coke so it's entirely achievable to reach that level.

    And sure it's preliminary research but it's worth bearing in mind, especially if you have relatives with type 2 diabetes. Why take the risk if you don't have to. I drink water now.

    2L is 6 cans.
  • candistyx
    candistyx Posts: 547 Member
    stevencloser wrote: »
    candistyx wrote: »
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    If you don't drink it often then
    candistyx wrote: »
    There's some relatively new research showing that artificial sweeteners such as those found in Coke Zero (interestingly though, not stevia) can alter your gut microbiome in a way that results in higher blood sugar levels. If you have risk factors for diabetes it might be worth bearing that in mind.

    Some reading material:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar
    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/artificial-sweeteners-may-disrupt-bodys-blood-sugar-controls/

    the study in bold is irrelevant to you since the 7(!) people studied were given the FDA’s maximum acceptable daily intake of saccharin.

    Equivalent to about 18 cans of diet drink. I used to drink over 2L a day of diet coke so it's entirely achievable to reach that level.

    And sure it's preliminary research but it's worth bearing in mind, especially if you have relatives with type 2 diabetes. Why take the risk if you don't have to. I drink water now.

    2L is 6 cans.

    Right, which is a third of 18. If there was (and yes we don't know yet) a linear dose response curve that would still have a significant effect.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Yeah, 6 cans a day is quite a lot, even if quite a bit smaller than the study.

    I don't think it's a choice between drinking none or drinking crazy high amounts.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    candistyx wrote: »
    stevencloser wrote: »
    candistyx wrote: »
    StealthHealth wrote: »
    If you don't drink it often then
    candistyx wrote: »
    There's some relatively new research showing that artificial sweeteners such as those found in Coke Zero (interestingly though, not stevia) can alter your gut microbiome in a way that results in higher blood sugar levels. If you have risk factors for diabetes it might be worth bearing that in mind.

    Some reading material:
    http://www.webmd.com/diet/20140917/artificial-sweeteners-blood-sugar
    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/17/artificial-sweeteners-may-disrupt-bodys-blood-sugar-controls/

    the study in bold is irrelevant to you since the 7(!) people studied were given the FDA’s maximum acceptable daily intake of saccharin.

    Equivalent to about 18 cans of diet drink. I used to drink over 2L a day of diet coke so it's entirely achievable to reach that level.

    And sure it's preliminary research but it's worth bearing in mind, especially if you have relatives with type 2 diabetes. Why take the risk if you don't have to. I drink water now.

    2L is 6 cans.

    Right, which is a third of 18. If there was (and yes we don't know yet) a linear dose response curve that would still have a significant effect.

    Things are rarely linear in these sorts of things.
  • Lextmg86
    Lextmg86 Posts: 102 Member
    I do not drink soda of any kind but do use artificial sweeteners quite often. Maybe they just do not affect me but my blood sugar levels and other measurements are near perfect currently and I have been using the artificial sweeteners for years now.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    amyjane_g wrote: »
    Coke Zero does not contain any of the following:
    • Calories
    • Fat
    • Carbohydrates
    • Cholesterol
    • Sugars

    It also provides zero nutritional benefits. and does not contain any protein, fibre, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium or iron...

    Makes you wonder what it actually does contain.... (If anything)

    Water, flavoring, coloring, non-caloric sweeteners.

    No need to wonder. All that stuff is clearly marked on the label.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    illusionist121 wrote: »
    So there's a fizzy drink with zero sugar and zero calories that tastes good, of course I'm talking about coke zero but how good/bad is it for you whilst on a strict diet?

    Its very good if it prevents you from going over you calories. I drink 40oz of Diet Dew each day because rather not waste 600 calories on soda. So for me, it's more of an enjoyable drink, that prevents me from going over my calories.

    And BTW, I also drink 150 oz of water each day, so that can't be used against me either >:)
  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10340548/diet-coke-vs-water-0-cals-vs-0-cals#latest
  • Onamissionforfit
    Onamissionforfit Posts: 90 Member
    There's hidden sugars even in diet if I want a taste of somthing other than water I drink unsweetened tea. I tried the diet sodas for awhile the outcome was not good due to the hidden sweeteners in them.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    What sugar is HIDDEN in diet soda? Surely you aren't claiming that the fact it contains artificial sweetener is hard to know.
  • snikkins
    snikkins Posts: 1,282 Member
    Thanks for all that info on ADIs, @lemurcat12. I've learned something today! :)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    tawnyamorgan1983 wrote: »
    There's hidden sugars even in diet if I want a taste of somthing other than water I drink unsweetened tea. I tried the diet sodas for awhile the outcome was not good due to the hidden sweeteners in them.

    What hidden sugars are there in a drink that is clearly sugar free? The mind boggles
    How are there hidden sweeteners, the ingredients are clearly labelled

    OP I drink 2-4 cans (330ml) diet drinks a day ...I also drink coffee, carbonated water

    None of them have sugar (well a little lactose in the milk in my coffee), calories or any affect on my weight, the nutritional balance of my diet or my health
  • Unknown
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  • James12315
    James12315 Posts: 30 Member
    illusionist121 wrote: »
    So there's a fizzy drink with zero sugar and zero calories that tastes good, of course I'm talking about coke zero but how good/bad is it for you whilst on a strict diet?

    From experience coke zero didn't really affect my weight loss BUT it did play havok with my cravings. Just try limit the amount you consume.
  • ClosetBayesian
    ClosetBayesian Posts: 836 Member
    tawnyamorgan1983 wrote: »
    There's hidden sugars even in diet if I want a taste of somthing other than water I drink unsweetened tea. I tried the diet sodas for awhile the outcome was not good due to the hidden sweeteners in them.

    Where are they hiding?
This discussion has been closed.

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