Aspartame in diet sodas causes diabets and weight gain?!

1246710

Replies

  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Among other changes to bring my calorie consumption down, I traded my many, many sugary beverages for aspartamey ones.

    Here comes the ticker again...

    82173306.png

    I can do you one better. Here's my ticker AND my diabetes has gone into remission since subbing diet soda for the sugary stuff. (Although you have me beat because you are at goal and I am still working on it)

    58841349.png

    I actually still have 2 lbs to go, but that's only my first goal. In a couple of weeks I'll be 15 lbs from goal. :wink:

    I never did develop diabetes, but it runs in the family, and I don't intend to continue the cycle. Coke Zero all the way! (except they're not making it anymore, and the new stuff tastes like regular coke mixed with diet coke. :sadpanda: )
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    earlnabby wrote: »
    Among other changes to bring my calorie consumption down, I traded my many, many sugary beverages for aspartamey ones.

    Here comes the ticker again...

    82173306.png

    I can do you one better. Here's my ticker AND my diabetes has gone into remission since subbing diet soda for the sugary stuff. (Although you have me beat because you are at goal and I am still working on it)

    58841349.png

    I actually still have 2 lbs to go, but that's only my first goal. In a couple of weeks I'll be 15 lbs from goal. :wink:

    I never did develop diabetes, but it runs in the family, and I don't intend to continue the cycle. Coke Zero all the way! (except they're not making it anymore, and the new stuff tastes like regular coke mixed with diet coke. :sadpanda: )

    Partial to Caffeine free Diet Dr. Pepper myself. That or Diet Vernors Ginger Ale.
  • Rooskie73
    Rooskie73 Posts: 30 Member
    I have been drinking diet soda as well as regular for many years. I also drink quite a bit of water. I had never had any problems with being diabetic, not even prediabetic, until I went through 6 months of intensive chemo in 2011. Talk about a shock to me and my oncologist. There are so many things that can cause diabetes, and many people have already mentioned them.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    mathjulz wrote: »
    I know there is a lot of information out there saying it is ok and other information saying it isnt. I chose not to consume artificial sweeteners because I personally believe extensively processed foods arent as healthy.
    I dont think it necessarily effects weight loss although I read somewhere that artificial sweeteners screw with our perception of what sweet tastes like since they are so much sweeter than say fruit sugar.

    I just don't understand this mindset that processing is inherently bad, that something otherwise ok (or good) becomes bad simply because of processing.

    I get that some types of processing can be less idea than others. But saying it's bad simply because it is processed doesn't make sense.

    She said "extensively processed" which could be equivalent to the Brazilian government's Ultra Processed: http://189.28.128.100/dab/docs/portaldab/publicacoes/guia_alimentar_populacao_ingles.pdf

    They have different recommendations based on:

    1. Natural/minimally processed
    2. Processed
    3. Ultra processed
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    mathjulz wrote: »
    I know there is a lot of information out there saying it is ok and other information saying it isnt. I chose not to consume artificial sweeteners because I personally believe extensively processed foods arent as healthy.
    I dont think it necessarily effects weight loss although I read somewhere that artificial sweeteners screw with our perception of what sweet tastes like since they are so much sweeter than say fruit sugar.

    I just don't understand this mindset that processing is inherently bad, that something otherwise ok (or good) becomes bad simply because of processing.

    I get that some types of processing can be less idea than others. But saying it's bad simply because it is processed doesn't make sense.

    She said "extensively processed" which could be equivalent to the Brazilian government's Ultra Processed: http://189.28.128.100/dab/docs/portaldab/publicacoes/guia_alimentar_populacao_ingles.pdf

    They have different recommendations based on:

    1. Natural/minimally processed
    2. Processed
    3. Ultra processed

    Here's a decent summary/discussion of the Brazilian recommendations: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/01/the-brazilian-guide-to-food-and-life/422301/

    I don't eat flavored yogurts much -- I prefer to use plain yogurt as a vehicle for berries or other fruit. However, I think it's interesting that sweetened/flavored yogurts are considered an ultra processed food because unbalanced and people will overeat, and the recommendation is "don't consume." I suspect that flavored yogurts are a food that most can consume in moderation and work easily into a balanced diet.

    A lot of the things about the Brazilian recommendations are consistent with how I eat, but are they necessary to have a healthy diet? I'm skeptical.

    I'm also not sure what instant noodles are, but the idea that they are bad because unbalanced seems questionable to me too (and they are specifically a food called out). I can make a VERY balanced, healthy meal with pasta (presumably about the same as an instant noodle in nutritional content) plus shrimp or some other lean meat and lots of vegetables, plus some olive oil. That was a staple when I was losing.

    Also, the recommended breakfast doesn't seem consistent to me with the recommendation to eat processed (not ultra processed) foods only sparingly.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,846 Member
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    mathjulz wrote: »
    I know there is a lot of information out there saying it is ok and other information saying it isnt. I chose not to consume artificial sweeteners because I personally believe extensively processed foods arent as healthy.
    I dont think it necessarily effects weight loss although I read somewhere that artificial sweeteners screw with our perception of what sweet tastes like since they are so much sweeter than say fruit sugar.

    I just don't understand this mindset that processing is inherently bad, that something otherwise ok (or good) becomes bad simply because of processing.

    I get that some types of processing can be less idea than others. But saying it's bad simply because it is processed doesn't make sense.

    She said "extensively processed" which could be equivalent to the Brazilian government's Ultra Processed: http://189.28.128.100/dab/docs/portaldab/publicacoes/guia_alimentar_populacao_ingles.pdf

    They have different recommendations based on:

    1. Natural/minimally processed
    2. Processed
    3. Ultra processed

    Here's a decent summary/discussion of the Brazilian recommendations: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/01/the-brazilian-guide-to-food-and-life/422301/

    I don't eat flavored yogurts much -- I prefer to use plain yogurt as a vehicle for berries or other fruit. However, I think it's interesting that sweetened/flavored yogurts are considered an ultra processed food because unbalanced and people will overeat, and the recommendation is "don't consume." I suspect that flavored yogurts are a food that most can consume in moderation and work easily into a balanced diet.

    A lot of the things about the Brazilian recommendations are consistent with how I eat, but are they necessary to have a healthy diet? I'm skeptical.

    I'm also not sure what instant noodles are, but the idea that they are bad because unbalanced seems questionable to me too (and they are specifically a food called out). I can make a VERY balanced, healthy meal with pasta (presumably about the same as an instant noodle in nutritional content) plus shrimp or some other lean meat and lots of vegetables, plus some olive oil. That was a staple when I was losing.

    Also, the recommended breakfast doesn't seem consistent to me with the recommendation to eat processed (not ultra processed) foods only sparingly.

    Thanks for the link!

    I thought the problem with instant noodles was going to be the flavor package, but apparently, preliminary studies show that instant noodles break down differently than regular.

    Presumably there are links to the actual studies in the articles for those who are interested in that. I'm just hearing about this and am not yet taking a position one way or the other.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/the-harmful-effects-of-instant-ramen-noodles/ar-AAof5H0

    ..The high sodium content in instant noodle products is obvious, but the main culprit is the noodles themselves. In another study by Dr. Braden Kuo, director of the gastrointestinal motility laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard University, the doctor found unsettling results after testing digestion of the noodles. He used a tiny camera to study the breakdown of instant ramen noodles in the stomach and found out just how difficult it is for your body to digest the preservative-filled noodles. Warning: the photos are graphic. A preservative called TBHQ, which is found in many processed foods including Reese's and Chicken McNuggets, extends shelf life of fatty foods and makes them harder to digest. It's one of the many ingredients in Maruchan Chicken Ramen...

    http://college.usatoday.com/2012/06/23/breaking-down-ramen-noodles-literally/

    ...“The most striking thing during the time intervals of two, four and six hours was the degree of breakdown of Ramen noodles,” Kuo said. “At two and four hours, the particular size of the Ramen noodle was much larger or formed than the homemade Ramen noodle at each of those time points, suggesting Ramen noodles were difficult to break down into extremely infinite particulate matter during the process of digestion.”

    A video released on the study at TEDxManhattan’s “Changing the Way We Eat” has since gone viral and prompted discussion among researchers, nutritionists, physicians and Ramen noodle consumers...

  • JustRobby1
    JustRobby1 Posts: 674 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    For some of us, the sweet flavor of Diet Coke piques our appetite. I am one of those so I gave up Diet Coke and have more control over my eating. No, Diet Coke wasn't directly making me fat, it was making me feel hungry. Eating too much in response was making me fat.

    Studies do show diet soda making people hungrier is common. Oddly, it doesn't seem to be common among MFP posters.

    Perhaps because it also happens to contain caffeine, which is a known appetite suppressant?
  • mathjulz
    mathjulz Posts: 5,514 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    mathjulz wrote: »
    I know there is a lot of information out there saying it is ok and other information saying it isnt. I chose not to consume artificial sweeteners because I personally believe extensively processed foods arent as healthy.
    I dont think it necessarily effects weight loss although I read somewhere that artificial sweeteners screw with our perception of what sweet tastes like since they are so much sweeter than say fruit sugar.

    I just don't understand this mindset that processing is inherently bad, that something otherwise ok (or good) becomes bad simply because of processing.

    I get that some types of processing can be less idea than others. But saying it's bad simply because it is processed doesn't make sense.

    She said "extensively processed" which could be equivalent to the Brazilian government's Ultra Processed: http://189.28.128.100/dab/docs/portaldab/publicacoes/guia_alimentar_populacao_ingles.pdf

    They have different recommendations based on:

    1. Natural/minimally processed
    2. Processed
    3. Ultra processed

    I wasn't referring just to her post; there are many on the forums that call processed foods bad just because they are processed.

    But even for "ultra processed," I think one must look at what about it is making it "bad." For example, someone mentioned instant noodles and that they may break down differently than regular pasta. That makes some sense as a potential reason to avoid them. But does all processing create problems like that? The Brazil recommendations call foods ultra processed if they are fatty, sweet, or salty packaged foods, and they do list cola, soda, and other soft drinks, but is it because of their sugar or some other reason? If ultra processed foods (or extremely processed foods) are defined that way because they are nutritionally unbalanced, why not just say that you avoid nutritionally unbalanced foods? Why the need to use the buzz-word "processed"?

    Relating specifically to diet soda, aspartame is simply two joined amino acids that happens to give a very sweet taste. So, how processed is diet soda? And is it bad simply because it is processed? I don't think so.