Aspartame in diet sodas causes diabets and weight gain?!

No, it's not true.

People that are overweight and have diabetes are more likely to drink diet sodas

Just read this yesterday:

Is Diet Soda Actually Bad For You?
Here's what the experts have to say about diet soda
BY NINA BAHADUR FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH September 6, 2017

Diet soda may seem like a fairly harmless treat. After all, it's low-calorie and not sweetened with sugar! But experts are worried about the chemicals present in diet soda, as well as studies linking it to health problems. Which begs the question: Is diet soda bad for you?
Turns out, there's not a huge consensus on the topic. For some experts, diet soda is just not worth it. "Just get rid of it," Keri Glassman, R.D.N., advises. "It is filled with unhealthy chemicals, including artificial sweeteners, which actually make you crave more calories later." Glassman notes that diet drinks are linked to weight gain, increased blood pressure, and diabetes.

But Cara Harbstreet, R.D., of Street Smart Nutrition thinks the issue is a bit more nuanced. She points out that a lot of the research is self-reported by participants, so it may not be completely accurate. Plus, she says that observational studies can't establish a distinct "cause and effect" relationship. "Consumers of diet soda who engage in other lifestyle behaviors associated with poor health outcomes are at a greater risk than those who balance their intake of diet soda with other healthful habits," she says. Variables at play, she says, include being sedentary versus being active, tobacco and alcohol use, and more. "The variables make it difficult to pinpoint whether diet soda consumption alone is the cause of negative health outcomes, or whether it’s the culmination of a number of factors," she says. "I lean towards the latter, since nothing in nutrition or health exists in a vacuum."

Harbstreet says that many of her clients struggle to give up carbonated beverages entirely, because who doesn't love bubbles? "Choosing to drink (or eat) any one specific item is always a deeply personal choice," Harbstreet says. "So I pose the question, which is the lesser of two evils? You always have a choice and in this case it comes down to whether you’d rather have a small amount of artificial sweetener in your drink or a high amount of refined and added sugar." For those looking to cut down, she recommends taking a few steps like switching to seltzer or no longer keeping soda in the house, but ordering it at a restaurant or bar. (Kick-start your new, healthy routine with Women's Health's 12-Week Total-Body Transformation!)

Harbstreet also encourages her clients to look at the bigger picture, and keep everything they consume in context. "A single ingredient or food doesn’t have the ability to completely derail an otherwise balanced and nourishing way of eating," she says. "So if they want to indulge from time to time, I support that. After all, I do that myself!"
The bottom line: Diet soda consumption is linked to some pretty serious health problems. But if it's your go-to indulgence, it's not the end of the world—especially if you're otherwise engaged in healthy lifestyle choices.

Rogus1 wrote: »

Just read this yesterday:

Is Diet Soda Actually Bad For You?
Here's what the experts have to say about diet soda
BY NINA BAHADUR FOR WOMEN’S HEALTH September 6, 2017

Diet soda may seem like a fairly harmless treat. After all, it's low-calorie and not sweetened with sugar! But experts are worried about the chemicals present in diet soda, as well as studies linking it to health problems. Which begs the question: Is diet soda bad for you?
Turns out, there's not a huge consensus on the topic. For some experts, diet soda is just not worth it. "Just get rid of it," Keri Glassman, R.D.N., advises. "It is filled with unhealthy chemicals, including artificial sweeteners, which actually make you crave more calories later." Glassman notes that diet drinks are linked to weight gain, increased blood pressure, and diabetes.

But Cara Harbstreet, R.D., of Street Smart Nutrition thinks the issue is a bit more nuanced. She points out that a lot of the research is self-reported by participants, so it may not be completely accurate. Plus, she says that observational studies can't establish a distinct "cause and effect" relationship. "Consumers of diet soda who engage in other lifestyle behaviors associated with poor health outcomes are at a greater risk than those who balance their intake of diet soda with other healthful habits," she says. Variables at play, she says, include being sedentary versus being active, tobacco and alcohol use, and more. "The variables make it difficult to pinpoint whether diet soda consumption alone is the cause of negative health outcomes, or whether it’s the culmination of a number of factors," she says. "I lean towards the latter, since nothing in nutrition or health exists in a vacuum."

Harbstreet says that many of her clients struggle to give up carbonated beverages entirely, because who doesn't love bubbles? "Choosing to drink (or eat) any one specific item is always a deeply personal choice," Harbstreet says. "So I pose the question, which is the lesser of two evils? You always have a choice and in this case it comes down to whether you’d rather have a small amount of artificial sweetener in your drink or a high amount of refined and added sugar." For those looking to cut down, she recommends taking a few steps like switching to seltzer or no longer keeping soda in the house, but ordering it at a restaurant or bar. (Kick-start your new, healthy routine with Women's Health's 12-Week Total-Body Transformation!)

Harbstreet also encourages her clients to look at the bigger picture, and keep everything they consume in context. "A single ingredient or food doesn’t have the ability to completely derail an otherwise balanced and nourishing way of eating," she says. "So if they want to indulge from time to time, I support that. After all, I do that myself!"
The bottom line: Diet soda consumption is linked to some pretty serious health problems. But if it's your go-to indulgence, it's not the end of the world—especially if you're otherwise engaged in healthy lifestyle choices.

IMO, I would never take the advice from a magazine. And if anything, I would much rather take the advice of a PhD over a RD.

https://youtu.be/Dod6bUZYz4w


ps - those unhealthy chemicals are a dipeptide of amino acids.

Good news. Diet soda does not cause diabetes or weight gain.

Bad news; being overweight increases your risk for insulin resistance and diabetes.

More good news, by modestly restricting your calories you can get to a healthier weight...while continuing to enjoy your sodas. Maybe skipping the fries.

My advice, hide the diet sodas when your parents visit, including the empties, and have some empty vodka bottles and a pack of cigarette papers strewn artistically around your room. Give them something new to worry about.

http://www.snopes.com/college/pranks/letter.asp

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary

Eating too many calories makes you fat.

Anyone blaming anything else is just trying to sell you something.

Nothing wrong with it. I have lost weight and maintained while consuming up to 1 litre a day.

Have know that aspartame is not a good thing after my kids had a reaction to the stuff when they were young. To make matters worst sugar free was included in a lot of medical products. Would not use then and will not touch now. Believe aspartame to very dangerous to all. It does however made chemical companies a lot of pennies?????

For a lot of magazines, people can get articles published without much effort if they pay the fee for it, so I'd take anything written down in them with a grain of salt. I drink diet sodas twice a day (one with lunch, one with dinner) and if they made you gain weight then I'd still be well over 300 pounds now (down to 268 atm).

geeness2004 wrote: »

Have know that aspartame is not a good thing after my kids had a reaction to the stuff when they were young. To make matters worst sugar free was included in a lot of medical products. Would not use then and will not touch now. Believe aspartame to very dangerous to all. It does however made chemical companies a lot of pennies?????

Strong first post.

geeness2004 wrote: »

Have know that aspartame is not a good thing after my kids had a reaction to the stuff when they were young. To make matters worst sugar free was included in a lot of medical products. Would not use then and will not touch now. Believe aspartame to very dangerous to all. It does however made chemical companies a lot of pennies?????

Yes, some people have negative reactions to aspartame, just like some people have negative reactions to peanuts or shellfish. This doesn't make the product bad, it just means that those people should avoid that product. Aspartame is the single most studied artificial sweetener on the planet and has been deemed safe for human consumption (I believe the thread on aspartame was linked up-thread of this).

Oh, by the way - if we actually banned all of the foods that can cause bad reactions across the population of the planet, there would literally be nothing left on the planet that we could eat!

In the last 5 weeks I've lost 8.8lbs. I only have 5lbs left to lose. Of all those days, I've had 1 16.9oz bottle of Diet Coke EVERY day.

Weight loss is based ONLY on a calorie deficit. Diet Soda has NO calories, so how, logically, could it cause weight gain?