Diet soda... friend or foe?!?

I read an article written by a biologist/chemist who stated that the second your tongue tastes something sweet, it send a signal to your brain to make more insulin. Once the artificial sugar hits your system and your body realizes it's not actual sugar, you'll begin to crave sugar because you have to put all that insulin to good use! I'm no biologist, so I cannot tell you the acuracy of that statement, but what I can tell you is that artificial sugar is just that- artificial. You'd be surprised how much remains in your body because your body doesn't know what to do with it. To each their own, but I would highly suggest that you pay close attention to your body while eating/drinking any artificial sweeteners~ everyone reacts differently and some people are highly sensitive!

So if you put a 1/4 spoonful of sugar on ANYTHING, you artificially sweeten it.:huh: Just sayin'.
I will agree that some will have adverse reactions if they do try artificial sweetners though.


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I read , on the internet , that diet soda makes your head explode

Maybe, maybe not. But THREADS about it tend to have that effect on me. That's why I wear one of those helmets like the aliens do on "Mars Attacks", because containing my exploding cranium is just the polite thing to do for those around me.

Thanks for laughing. Good to have a sense of humor.

Where do you think the ingredients for diet soda come from? So far you've ruled out the Earth and the rest of the universe.. that doesn't leave much else...

They are delivered through a wormhole from an alternate dimension. Actually, the "wormhole" is a very sophisticated bit of plumbing. Every time one of the Xerrgzzrps flushes their toilet, we have more sucralose (through an odd coincidence, this is their word for "feces").

diet soda = FOE! its carcinogenic and to be honest i think its better to drink regular soda.. if you put diet coke on rust it burns it right off, cant be good for the body in any way shape or form... stick to h2o

Regular coke will clean off tarnish from your engine.

To comment on the question, obviously water is your best option. But I think it’s ok to have a diet or regular soda every now and then. i drink 1 can of diet coke with my dinner every night, and that’s big considering I used to drink 6 cans a day. Everything in moderation.

Come on people! We're not here to poke fun or to be rude, we're here to support each other! There is obviously a lot of controversy over this topic and ultimately the decision is our own... the least we can do is offer our opinions and advice without sounding condescending!!!!

We're not here to support each other. We're here discussing the merits of diet soda. Advice and opinions are meaningless without any facts.

You said diet coke does not come from the earth or space. You said it in a very condescending way. Now before you backtrack and start with the "we're all in this together" talk I would like to know where you thing diet soda comes from.

[Follow-up to previous post] SOME ANSWERS

YES, there is research that SUGGESTS that diet sodas MAY inhibit weight loss. HOWEVER, it's not as simple as "diet sodas bad" -- there are lots of "...IF x, y, and/or z are ALSO true" bits to it.

For instance, a study by the American Diabetes Association (via CBS) showed that, over a 9.5 year study, adults who drank more diet soda gained more weight and added to their waistlines. BUT - as they say 'correlation is NOT causality'. That is, this doesn't prove that the sodas CAUSED the weight gain -- it just shows that the two tendencies happened together. It may well be (and I've seen it suggested by scientists) that people who guzzle diet sodas ALSO have more of a tendency to, say, pursue low-fat high-carb diets (which, diet soda aside, have been generally shown not to work) than people who don't drink diet soda.

A related ADA study on mice showed that, on the same diet otherwise, mice with a lot of aspartame added had much higher blood glucose levels. (Note that this doesn't say they actually *gained weight*, although I'd certainly guess they did, and it's certain that high blood glucose levels is a bad thing generally for health.) The quote from one of the study authors is even less damning: "Artificial sweeteners could have the effect of triggering appetite but unlike regular sugars they don't deliver something that will squelch the appetite." She added the lack of real sugar could inhibit the body from feeling full.

So:

(a) She says 'artificial sweeteners' although they tested only aspartame. Bad science: aspartame may well have a completely different effect on the body and brain (hypothalamus, here) than, say, stevia, saccharin, etc. It may have an indirect effect, like blocking the effect of fat on the hypothalamus, and/or the release of leptin (which kills appetite), or something else.

(b) She says '...COULD have...'! That's not a conclusion of the study - it wasn't a tested hypothesis - it's just a SWAG.

(c) She assumes that 'regular sugars' 'deliver something that [squelches] appetite', and that a lack of 'real sugar' COULD (!) inhibit the body from feeling full. Generally speaking (and this is supported by quite a lot of evidence), sugar and simple carb intake which raises blood glucose provokes an insulin response which then LOWERS blood glucose and causes hunger/cravings -- and sugar doesn't generally make someone feel full! (Try this the next two times you're hungry: eat 4 tbsp of table sugar, the next time eat a the caloric equivalent of canola oil. Tell me how well each works, 30 minutes later.) FAT makes you feel full: it triggers the hypothalamus to release leptin. Look it up. And look at www.dietdoctor.com/lchf.

SO - finally - I went on the above LCHF (low-carb-high-fat) diet on Feb 15th, today is May 4th. I've lost 35 lbs, from 236.4 to 201.2, as of this morning. That's 79 days, so 2 1/4 lbs per day. My average fat intake is roughly the equivalent of 1.5 sticks of butter; my average carb intake is about 20-30g/day. And - I'm drinking probably 10-15 diet Cokes, Frescas, and other diet sodas every day, all with artificial sweeteners (including aspartame and stevia). I just had my cholesterol and blood sugar tested (as well as everything else - hepatic, renal, white cell) and am normal-GOOD in absolutely everything.

I DON'T FEEL HUNGRY. EVER. Why? I eat a lot of fat. I have no clue whether I'd be 'less hungry' without the soda, but that's a meaningless statement.

It's probably not ADDING to my health, but it's a comfort for the feeling of something 'missing' as I've changed my eating habits - and it's certainly less unhealthy than the extra 35 lbs I'm no longer carrying around. (Btw, I'm a 6' tall male - goal weight is probably around 180.)

SO, finally ('whew!', they all said) -- if you're doing everything else right, I wouldn't worry about the diet soda. And if anyone says 'it's unnatural' - so is sugar (and flour, and milled rice, and ...). And if they say it causes cellulite - laugh and tell them to Google "diet soda cellulite". (The source on LiveStrong.com is pretty solid debunking.)

If you like it, and it helps, and you're doing the other stuff right - you go girl. Focus on the real factors: exercise and diet (note: NOT calories, NOT fat -- low-cal/low-fat is a terrible idea and long-term does NOT work. Again, see www.dietdoctor.com).

You know what makes diet soda taste really good? Pine cones.

I drink it. I only have two heads. You'll be fine.

P.S. You're gonna get a whole bunch of different answers, all backed up with good or lousy science, anecdotal evidence, or simple make-believe, and you're gonna have an even harder time knowing what to believe. And googling it will give you even more answers and scary not-scientific baloney.. I suggest you go to reputable websites like the Mayo Clinic or WebMD, read what they have to say, think about it, list the pros and cons of partaking, and choose to drink or not drink.

Fabulous post!

It has zero calories, but the artificial sweeteners block growth hormones. Stasticicly your chances of becoming or staying obese jump up 50% when drinking diet soda.

People will have opinions, but statistics are statistics. Nothing's free in life. If it tastes good, and there's no calories, then there's something else that's gotta pay for it. It's also the 4th in a line of sweeteners! The previous three banned from other generations.

My bet's that they still don't have it right. Instead of diet sodas try a healthy meal replacement drink with some fruit, ice, whey protein powder etc. Or a post workout recovery drink. Other than that drink water! Your body will thank you!

I agree with this....Diet soda gave me headaches yet I still drank it. I gave it up almost for 4 weeks ago and haven't felt better in a long time!! Personally, it makes me wonder what is in it! : /

I stick to water and teas, with juices thrown in at times, but occasionally let myself have a Pepsi One. I noticed anything with aspertame gives me horrible cramping and bloating, but that Splenda (used in Pepsi One) does not have that effect. But I would not drink any kind of soda more than once in a blue moon and accompanied by tons of water to help flush it out!