Interesting Article on MSNBC

DataBased
DataBased Posts: 513 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It's not too long of a read, and I'd be interested in any research anyone might have done on the topic?

http://todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/07/05/12548199-the-strange-reason-diet-soda-makes-you-fat?lite

I have no notion of the reliability of the information in the article, but I can say that since I quit drinking sodas almost a year ago, I began dropping weight. Your thoughts?

Replies

  • DataBased
    DataBased Posts: 513 Member
    Anyone? :smile:
  • lyntwhit
    lyntwhit Posts: 11 Member
    Interesting. I hadn't heard this before. I've seen all the media about how bad regular soft drinks are, but not so much about the diet sodas. Personally, I've been trying to drink more water lately. I still have a diet soda every once in a while though.
  • DataBased
    DataBased Posts: 513 Member
    I have a diet Dr. Pepper once in a blue moon, but about 8 months ago I pretty much got rid of all my Splenda and Equal. I found a Stevia product that didn't leave a bad aftertaste in my mouth, and I've used that in my coffee ever since I found it. I do eat half a cup of Breyer's no sugar added ice cream with half the fat once every other month or so. Seriously, though, I've wondered what our bodies think about the artificial sweeteners, and this might actually shed some light on it.

    Thanks for responding.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
    There's nothing there to prove what the author is saying. These articles are far too common however there hasn't been much actual proof of the claims people make regarding sugars, artificial sweeteners, etc.

    A lot of things have artitifical sweeteners and flavours in them. I still drink my diet coke, use Splenda, Equal and the other sweeteners out there and have never had an issue.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I think the notion that it lends credibility to a link between diet soda consumption and obesity, is blatant sillyness. The link between obesity and diet soda consumption can just as easily be explained by the idea that obese people drink diet soda to try and not be obese.

    EDIT: It appears they mention this in the article after they claim the silly thing mentioned above. Reading comprehension fail on my part.
  • DataBased
    DataBased Posts: 513 Member
    Right - and I wonder if anybody IS doing any serious studies - which is why I posted the article link. Does anybody have any knowledge of a serious study looking at these things?

    Just curious!
  • jhardenbergh
    jhardenbergh Posts: 1,035 Member
    In all honesty it is my belief that not one food or drink makes someone fat, the person makes themselves fat. Anything in moderation is fine.
  • ellie0213
    ellie0213 Posts: 516 Member
    Plenty of solid research from credible sources can be found online regarding the negative health effects of artificial sweeteners. I would go there instead of relying on MFP "experts."
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    I think the notion that it lends credibility to a link between diet soda consumption and obesity, is blatant sillyness. The link between obesity and diet soda consumption can just as easily be explained by the idea that obese people drink diet soda to try and not be obese.

    EDIT: It appears they mention this in the article after they claim the silly thing mentioned above. Reading comprehension fail on my part.

    As a person who waited table for a dozen years... there are lots of thin(ner) people who drink diet pop as well.

    Which debunks both your theory and the one in the article... but still worth saying. ;)
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,321 Member
    All the studies I have ever see have been epidemiological studies, and all they can show is a correlation not a causation. I know lots of people who lost weight and got healthier drinking lots of diet drinks and using artificial sweeteners. Anyone who has taken a basic logic course knows that correlation does not equal causation. All that studies like that do is show that more studies are needed. Whether they are being done, I really don't know.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I think the notion that it lends credibility to a link between diet soda consumption and obesity, is blatant sillyness. The link between obesity and diet soda consumption can just as easily be explained by the idea that obese people drink diet soda to try and not be obese.

    EDIT: It appears they mention this in the article after they claim the silly thing mentioned above. Reading comprehension fail on my part.

    As a person who waited table for a dozen years... there are lots of thin(ner) people who drink diet pop as well.

    I don't doubt that.
    Which debunks both your theory and the one in the article... but still worth saying. ;)

    I don't see how it debunks anything.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    I think stories like these pop up like mad in the popular press (and on Dr. Oz) because they know it gets attention. If they had actual hard evidence that diet soda caused weight gain, it wouldn't be in a little fitness section blurb on MSNBC, including a little anecdotal "evidence" from the author herself ("I personally don't drink it or eat anything processed..."), but lacking a single citation.

    I checked my academic library and if she published this study, it's not in any journal we track.
  • Blaqheart
    Blaqheart Posts: 235
    Heard of it several years ago. They didn't even try to really explain why. Bottom line diet sodas or sodas in general aren't healthy.

    www.mercola.com

    Use search feature and you can find real studies on this and many others.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    I'm all for alternative medicine but Mercola's pretty known for being more of a quack than anything.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercola

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