Thoughts on Diet Coke

That stuff is not good for you. It's pretty much like drinking liquid chemicals - not good for your body! There are 'soda' like drinks that are made from all natural sweetener, like zevia. You should look into those

Everything you drink is a chemical (from a scientific standpoint). Now dependent on how your body reacts to it is how you gauge if it's good for you or not.

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I drink one maybe two cans a day. I've tried to give it up, but it's too hard!

It's just crap.

Ignoring the health stuff - fizzy drinks are so bad for teeth. Why not just have fresh juice instead or concentrate?

It's sugar that's bad for the teeth not the fizz. And juice has more sugar than many other sodas.

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I drink no added sugar, and there is research that concludes even carbonated water is bad for teeth, never mind when you add diet coke syrup.

Point being - unless you want to stick with plain water the whole time, then you will want some flavoured drink. Carbonated beverages are worse.

Really? I'd like to see the research on the carbonated water. Provide me with a link.
And whether or not you drink no "added" sugar, juice still has sugar. Ask any dentist what's worse for teeth: sugar or fizzy water with no sugar.

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Unfortunately can't give you access to the full article but if you go here you can see the abstract:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-263X.2006.00784.x/abstract;jsessionid=D67B5D94E512F58724F1253E5CF94C98.d03t02

Again though - I understand that sugar will harm teeth - but I believe from what I've seen that diet coke and other carbonated beverages are significantly worse than concentrated juice diluted in water.

Interesting fact that neither supports/contradicts, or even bears any relation to the original point - diet coke is 99% water.

Well the link mentions "sparkling water" but nothing of diet soda or any sodas. But personally I will research this myself and let you know what I come up with. If carbonated water (which is NOT what the article is about) does cause erosion I want to know.

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Sparkling water and carbonated water are one and the same. Soda is just carbonated pop so it stands to reason that if water doesn't deteriorate teeth, but carbonated water does, then carbonated beverages such as diet coke will also harm teeth.

I think also rather than actually deteriorating teeth, the problem is that they stain them.

I can't stand regular sodas! I have been drinking all kinds of diet soda and iced tea for over 30 years. Either I have a weird body chemistry, or the popular studies are very wrong. Anyway, it doesn't seem to adversely affect me in any perceivable way.

Although I have not researched this I have heard that diet sodas and aspartame can effect memory. If you drink these often, maybe test going without. Make 20 definition flash cards that you don't know the meaning of. Drill yourself on 10 of the cards for 3 days of drinking these beverages. Then wait 3 days and drill yourself on the other ten. Which ones do you learn faster?

I use diet coke to strip the finish off of my golf clubs (wedges). The stuff literally eats off the finish......it's better than CLR.

In terms of drinking it, see what I just said.

So will baking soda, but apparently it's okay to ingest. The hydrochloric acid in your stomach obliterates the fizz in any soft drink.

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In all honesty, I can say I've never eaten baking soda daily.

Diet coke has Phosphoric Acid in it which is what strips the finish off of metal. It actually neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in your stomach which we need to digest food.....from which nutrients are obtained......meaning a further loss of minerals in your body because of inadequate digestion. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from your body in an effort to satisfy the body's desire to balance phosphorus and calcium.

Having a diet coke a day is not going to kill you.....probably not going to have any effect, but is it good for you?

Alkalines neutralize acids. Acids don't neutralize other acids. Where are you coming up with this stuff? Recent research actually points to caffeine as the possible culprit to calcium loss.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/74/5/569.full

You're right on your last statement. It won't kill you (or else dead bodies would be everywhere) but being good? That's subjective. If it stops you from consuming high calorie sweets, then yes. If you're talking from a nutritional value, then no.

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I got that information from a M.D. (David Reuben)

http://life.familyeducation.com/nutrition-and-diet/healthy-lifestyle/36000.html

MD's aren't chemists.

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So what you are saying is he's wrong?

Sparkling water and carbonated water are one and the same. Soda is just carbonated pop so it stands to reason that if water
doesn't deteriorate teeth, but carbonated water does, then carbonated beverages such as diet coke will also harm teeth.

I think also rather than actually deteriorating teeth, the problem is that they stain them.

Staining I can agree with since many people (my uncle is a dentist) have issues with coffee, cola, tobacco, etc. staining their teeth.

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I've been drinking Diet Coke and / or diet soft drinks since they first came out without any adverse effects. Doesn't matter if I'm fat or skinny and I've been both. I did change to caffeine free diet cokes long ago and I rarely drink coffee so I get very little caffeine. I hate water and have to force myself to drink it. I also have to flavor it most of the time. Best water I have ever had was when I lived in Detroit, Michigan and when I visited Rome, Italy. I don't like the Splenda sugered cokes. I don't know about all the things that are in the cokes that people claim are harmful. I just know that I'm alive and well; 71 years old, don't take any meds at all, and have been drinking sodas since I was 14!

Let's boil the argument down:

1. Low-calorie sweeteners rarely claim any actual health BENEFITS other than sweetening things for fewer calories.
2. Low-calorie sweeteners are relatively new, so the risks of them, although pretty low, are largely unknown. There are specific members of the population with specific reactions, and on the whole they are generally considered pretty safe, but they haven't been around for 2-3 generations like other products have.

Compare low-cal sweeteners to sugar, and if you have trouble controlling your calories low-cal sweeteners win. Being overweight has real, quantifiable, proven risks. Those outweigh the risk of a reasonably-safe sweetener. So if you absolutely cannot give up sweet taste, use the low-cal sweetener if you can't fit the calories of sugar into your budget or lifestyle.

Compare low-cal sweetener to no sweetener, and no sweetener wins. Even though there are no PROVEN risks to low-cal sweeteners in non-sensitive groups and any risk may be low or even mythical scaremongering, it's a simple fact that there are NO risks associated with NOT using them.

If you are struggling with calories and need to lose weight: WATER (is better than) DIET SODA (is better than) FULL-SUGAR SODA.

If you're worried about possible effects of low-cal sweeteners: WATER (is better than) FULL-SUGAR SODA (is better than) DIET SODA.

The common theme between the two risk/reward comparisons above is pretty simple. Water comes out on top, ALWAYS, if your priority is concern about your health.

Choose where on the continuum you belong, and drink up with your beverage of choice.

I use diet coke to strip the finish off of my golf clubs (wedges). The stuff literally eats off the finish......it's better than CLR.

In terms of drinking it, see what I just said.

So will baking soda, but apparently it's okay to ingest. The hydrochloric acid in your stomach obliterates the fizz in any soft drink.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

In all honesty, I can say I've never eaten baking soda daily.

Diet coke has Phosphoric Acid in it which is what strips the finish off of metal. It actually neutralizes the hydrochloric acid in your stomach which we need to digest food.....from which nutrients are obtained......meaning a further loss of minerals in your body because of inadequate digestion. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from your body in an effort to satisfy the body's desire to balance phosphorus and calcium.

Having a diet coke a day is not going to kill you.....probably not going to have any effect, but is it good for you?

Alkalines neutralize acids. Acids don't neutralize other acids. Where are you coming up with this stuff? Recent research actually points to caffeine as the possible culprit to calcium loss.

http://www.ajcn.org/content/74/5/569.full

You're right on your last statement. It won't kill you (or else dead bodies would be everywhere) but being good? That's subjective. If it stops you from consuming high calorie sweets, then yes. If you're talking from a nutritional value, then no.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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I got that information from a M.D. (David Reuben)

http://life.familyeducation.com/nutrition-and-diet/healthy-lifestyle/36000.html

MD's aren't chemists.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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So what you are saying is he's wrong?

Yes. Hydrochloric acid is very strong and the base needed to neutralize it would be substantial.

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The latest I have read is they have found a link btw diet soda drinkers and obesity by way of cravings for carbs (I believe)

"They" also say that DHMO is bad for you too (and yet we have it all the time!!!!). If having Diet Coke or other diet soda's of your choice does not stall your weight loss, I don't see a problem with it.

I like Diet Coke better than Coke Zero. I also consider soda a 'sometimes treat.'





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i recently gave up all soda from my life. i havent had a sip in 3 months, and to know that is more satisfying that a coke zero. (: i have also lost more weight than i would have had i not given up soda, because i lost it more rapidly than i did before i did that.

I can't stand regular sodas! I have been drinking all kinds of diet soda and iced tea for over 30 years. Either I have a weird body chemistry, or the popular studies are very wrong. Anyway, it doesn't seem to adversely affect me in any perceivable way.

^^this, mostly. Although i've cut down considerably and drink mostly water, I will have one on occasion.

*says in Homer Simpson voice* "mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm......diet coke"