So where do we stand with Diet Soda?
We constantly see headlines about how diet soda is worse for you than regular soda, or that it is worse than smoking. Then, we see headlines about calorie-free drinks and how they are going to help us lose weight.
Which is it? What is the real answer here? Is diet soda really that bad for us? Well, this is what we know:
First and foremost, we don’t have a long enough history of diet drinks to have any real substantial evidence one way or the other. If you read into the studies that have been done, you will see keywords like MAY or POSSIBLY. What that is saying is that from this study it seems like we have evidence of this, but not enough to give you a distinct answer.
One thing that needs to be stated is: in most studies, the only thing regulated is their soda intake. This means that we don’t have a clue what kind of diet they have outside of the soda. This could result in many misleading theories.
Some key components that have come out of these studies include:
- Researchers suggesting that sweeteners and added chemicals can make you hungrier, causing you to eat more, thus you have more weight gain. Carbonation is known to make you feel fuller because of the air bubbles in the stomach.
2. The more studies I read, the more I can conclude that researchers aren’t that worried about the actual concept of (all) sweeteners, it is the chemicals that some sweeteners are made up of that are put into these sodas they are worried about.
3. The biggest argument against sweeteners is how they react with your brain. Many researchers suggest that your brain gets confused because you feed it, but it doesn’t get any calories. This can mess with your metabolism.
Which is worse than? Regular or diet? Well, we don’t really know. One can of Coca-Cola (12 oz) contains 39 grams of sugar. Take that in for a minute. There are many sweeteners that you’ve never heard of and have no idea what they are. That is a little alarming as well.
So, the real answer is that we just don’t know yet, but if any of it seems concerning to you, it is best to just stick to other drink options. Drink some tea, matcha, coffee, water, whatever! Also, keep in mind that often we hear answers based off insane amounts being consumed.
You probably don’t need to obsess about having a diet soda here or there.
Featured Image via Pixabay
Low- and no-calorie sweeteners have been proven safe by worldwide government safety authorities as well as hundreds of scientific studies. Moreover, soda with zero sugar and using low- and no-calorie sweeteners have proven to be an effective tool for weight loss and management. For instance, a randomized clinical trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that those who consumed zero sugar or reduced sugar beverages in place of caloric ones consumed fewer calories than other control groups, including those who consumed only water.
America’s beverage companies are helping support American’s efforts to cut back on sugar and calories by offering more products with less sugar or zero sugar, smaller portion sizes and calorie labels on the front of all of our products. Learn more here: BalanceUS.org.