Diet Soda May Do More Harm Than Good

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Diet Soda May Do More Harm Than Good
Researchers 'shocked' by study results
Author: By Danielle Dellorto CNN
Posted: July 10, 2013 4:05 PM CDT Updated: July 10, 2013 9:11 PM CDT

(CNN) - Diet soda drinkers have the same health issues as those who drink regular soda, according to a new report published Wednesday. Purdue University researchers reviewed a dozen studies published in past five years that examined the relationship between consuming diet soda and health outcomes for the report, published as an opinion piece in the journal Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism. They say they were "shocked" by the results.

"Honestly, I thought that diet soda would be marginally better compared to regular soda in terms of health," said Susan Swithers, the author of this opinion piece and a behavioral neuroscientist and professor of psychological sciences. "But in reality it has a counterintuitive effect." Artificial sweeteners in diet soda fulfill a person's craving for a sweet taste, without the calories. But that's the problem, according to researchers. Think of it like crying wolf.

Fake sugar teases your body by pretending to give it real food. But when your body doesn't get the things it expects to get, it becomes confused on how to respond. "You've messed up the whole system, so when you consume real sugar, your body doesn't know if it should try to process it because it's been tricked by the fake sugar so many times," says Swithers.

On a physiological level, this means when diet soda drinkers consume real sugar, the body doesn't release the hormone that regulates blood sugar and blood pressure. Diet soda drinkers also tend to pack on more pounds than those who don't, the report says. "The taste of sweet does cause the release of insulin, which lowers blood sugar , and if carbohydrates are not consumed, it causes a drop in blood sugar, which triggers hunger and cravings for sugar," says CNN diet and fitness expert Dr. Melina Jampolis.

The artificial sweeteners also dampen the "reward center" in your brain, which may lead you to indulge more calorie-rich, sweet-tasting food, according to the report. The American Beverage Association says the report was "an opinion piece, not a scientific study. "Low-calorie sweeteners are some of the most studied and reviewed ingredients in the food supply today," the association said in a statement. "They are safe and an effective tool in weight loss and weight management, according to decades of scientific research and regulatory agencies around the globe."

Diet soda's negative effects are not just linked to weight gain, however, the report says. It found that diet soda drinkers who maintained a healthy weight range still had a significantly increased risk of the top three killers in the United States: diabetes, heart disease and stroke. "We've gotten to a place where it is normal to drink diet soda because people have the false impression that it is healthier than indulging in a regular soda," says Swithers. "But research is now very clear that we need to also be mindful of how much fake sugar they are consuming."

There are five FDA-approved artificial sweeteners: acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One), aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), neotame, saccharin (SugarTwin, Sweet'N Low), and sucralose (Splenda). All of them are chemicals. "Saccharin was one of the first commercially-available artificially sweeteners, and it's actually a derivative of tar," says Swithers.

Natural sweeteners, like Stevia - which has no calories and is 250 times sweeter than regular sugar - is not a chemical, but is still a processed extract of a natural plant, and increases your health risks similar to artificial sweeteners. "Just because something is natural does not always mean that it is safer," says Jampolis.

There more studies and research that need to be done ... but in the meantime, experts say: Limit consumption. "No one is saying cut it out completely," says Swithers. "But diet soda should be a treat or indulgence just like your favorite candy, not an everyday thing."

Copyright 2013 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved.

[Tubehead]

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[robyrob]

i really only drink pop occasionally - usually ginger ale, but for a treat sometimes Dr Pepper. I know people that regularly drink 4 or more pops a day - to me that just seems insane.

I try to stay away from fake sugars as much as possible, but you never really know what they actually put in most of the processed foods you get out there. I used to buy Turkey Hill Green Tea, and they discontinued it in favor of the Diet Green tea - I tried it once but it gave me stomach cramps (and worse that I won't mention) so the rest of that went straight down the drain. I honestly can't even drink diet pop at all - they just taste horrible to me and cause intense stomach pains.

[JamesG]

I haven't had soda for over 2 years now.

[DVDLover]

Originally Posted by robyrob

i really only drink pop occasionally - usually ginger ale, but for a treat sometimes Dr Pepper. I know people that regularly drink 4 or more pops a day - to me that just seems insane.

I try to stay away from fake sugars as much as possible, but you never really know what they actually put in most of the processed foods you get out there. I used to buy Turkey Hill Green Tea, and they discontinued it in favor of the Diet Green tea - I tried it once but it gave me stomach cramps (and worse that I won't mention) so the rest of that went straight down the drain. I honestly can't even drink diet pop at all - they just taste horrible to me and cause intense stomach pains.

Better than drinking beer 4 or more times a day

[Regulus]

Warning! The Surgeon General had determined that living can be hazardous to your life!

[gidgetgrape]

Originally Posted by DVDLover

Better than drinking beer 4 or more times a day

I get what your saying. But, last year I watched a program (I think it was this one) with a Dr. from The University of California who said that technically drinking beer and soda is the same thing. There's something in the way the body reacts to sugar that makes drinking soda and drinking alcohol equally bad. You don't get the buzz from soda, but your body is still experiencing the same effects.

I'd rather see someone with a Dr. Pepper than a beer too though.

[Regulus]

I remember in the early 80s when the FDA was about to ban Saccharin because it was found to cause cancer, similar to the ban on Cyclamates in the 1970s. *IIRC the reason it wasn't banned was because a group that represented diabetics said if saccharin was banned they would file suit in Federal Court demanding that all Tobacco Products be banned because it was PROVEN that these also were carcinogenic. The result of coursee would have been a Prohibition on Tobacco, and the Tobacco Companies would be devastated. So a a "Gentlemen's Agreement" was declared between the Diabetic Group and the Tobacco Companies promising that neither products would be banned, and they put warnings on Saccharin Pacts warning of Health Risks.

BTW Cyclamates are still allowed in other countries. (I bought Several Bottles of it in Brazil in 2011 and gave em away as "Gag Gifts" at Christmastime). I bought a bottle of it myself and use it as a conversation piece.

[Janice]

I gave up soda last month and haven't missed it one bit. I didn't drink much anyway. I never drank diet anything. I think it has a nasty aftertaste.

[robyrob]

Originally Posted by DVDLover

Better than drinking beer 4 or more times a day

too much of anything can be bad for you, I don't really drink but I often use alcohol when I am cooking

90% of the time I drink water. bottled - because I can't stand the taste of the tap water here, the pipes are like a hundred years old and you can taste it.

[Frump]

I would rather drink water than diet sodas, actually.

YUCK!!

I'm dieting and I drink a little regular soda, and I'm losing weight just fine, you just dont wanna drink a huge amount of it all the time.

[Tubehead]

don't buy the machine have you guys seen the machine were you can turn your water into coke its a joke you have to buy stuff to make it its not just poor water all of suddenly it coke you got to make it with other ingrate's

[Fleet]

I never cared for diet soft drinks. Not much flavor as the regular ones. I know the diet ones have zero calories, but I would rather have the better flavor and exercise more.

Currently, it's no more than one 12-ounce soft drink per day. Sometimes I skip a day. For quite a while, in the 1990s and early 2000s, I did not drink it at all.

[Caroline13]

We get ONE body, treat it with respect, don't put all that soda cwap in it.

[PaperClips]

I have been drinking Diet Pepsi since I was a kid. No health problems.

My grandma drank 7-UP her entire life - lived to be 98.

Life is short - enjoy yourself.