Diet Soda more harm than good?

  • Thread starter Greg Bernhardt
  • Start date
In summary, the study showed that diet soda can cause weight gain in rats, and that the more viscous the supplement, the more weight the rats gained.
  • #1
19,412
9,962
Some interesting insights!

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.

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/10/diet-soda-may-do-more-harm-than-good/?hpt=hp_t2

Here are a couple Purdue news stories on it. They are fairly old though.

http://www.purdue.edu/uns/html4ever/2004/040629.Swithers.research.html
https://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2008a/080211SwithersAPA.html
 
Biology news on Phys.org
  • #3
Monique said:
Oh, and I don't know what good diet sodas are supposed to provide :smile:

Refreshment, hydration, etc., without 100 calories a can. :smile:

My manager used to drink a lot of diet soda until his doctor told him about this effect. He cut way back to maybe 2 cans a day, and that stabilized his metabolism. Seemed to be a real effect for him at least.
 
  • #4
berkeman said:
Refreshment, hydration, etc., without 100 calories a can. :smile:
I think it's better to stay away from soda anyway (I value my teeth: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57586640/diet-soda-erodes-teeth-as-much-as-meth-crack-case-study/), but that's another discussion :biggrin:
 
  • #5
Its taken me 20 years to finally get it together to start drinking diet soda to lose a few pounds and now this?!

Next thing you're going to tell me is that I should throw away my vitamins and stop taking low-dose aspirin...
 
  • #6
Why are you taking low-dose aspirin? Did your doc tell you to do it?
 
  • #7
berkeman said:
Why are you taking low-dose aspirin? Did your doc tell you to do it?

Well, at one point it was recommended that adults take it as part of an overall cardiovascular heath maintenance/prevention program. But then, of course, the model changed. So I don't take it anymore. Same thing with vitamins, their efficacy versus danger utility seems to shift more often than the seasons. There was a whole thread on this a while back (vitamins)

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=675463&highlight=throw+vitamins

where I had a few things to say. The thing is, I love soda, especially cola. I take supplements, conservatively, but I still take them. I take oils, flax seed, fish oil, etc. I take creatine, protein powders for working out, ginko biloba, blueberry extract, yada yada yada. I don't overdo it, mostly I just try to maintain a healthy diet. You can't even win there, there seems to always be some problem with any food you eat.

I just want to do the right thing and get on some sensible program and get on with my life, and somehow the health/prevention/medical community cannot seem to get it together to figure out anything about what is good and what is bad for you. It is really frustrating.

The only safe thing to do seems to chomp on kale all day and drink plenty of water...but I'm sure that will change soon.
 
  • #8
I lost weight when I switched to diet drinks and the weight has stayed off. Perhaps it's the fact that I know that there are no calories therefore my body isn't tricked. I haven't seen any data on what chemically could cause anything, they only talk about it being psychological.

As for the mice that drank the chocolate milk as opposed to eating a thick, viscous pudding, my assumption would be that the pudding was more filling therefore the mice felt fuller and ate less than the milk drinkers.

In the second study, two groups of rats were given a high-calorie dietary supplement along with their regular food every day for 30 days. Although the supplements were identical in calories and nutritive content, they differed in viscosity. For one group the supplement had the consistency of thick chocolate pudding, whereas for the other group, the supplement was similar to chocolate milk. Davidson and Swithers found that over the course of the study, the rats given the milk-like supplement gained significantly more weight than the rats given the more viscous, pudding-like supplement.
From the Purdue study posted above.

Are there any non-psychological studies on this?
 
Last edited:
  • #9
The psychology is like that of the Pavlov dogs, they learned to associate a bell with food. In the end merely the sound of the bell caused the dogs to salivate.

The diet soda should then cause a dissociation, since the brain expects sugar but there is no sugar. I don't think 'knowing there is no sugar' would cause a changed response, but then again it could.
 
  • #10
Monique said:
The psychology is like that of the Pavlov dogs, they learned to associate a bell with food. In the end merely the sound of the bell caused the dogs to salivate.

The diet soda should then cause a dissociation, since the brain expects sugar but there is no sugar. I don't think 'knowing there is no sugar' would cause a changed response, but then again it could.
I'd be interested in seeing more detailed tests involving chemistry in the body.

Watermelon and cantaloupe are very sweet, low calorie foods, are they saying these foods also have the same negative effects, causing cravings? The subject is interesting, but I'm the type that needs real data. It could be true for some and not for others.
 
  • #11
I don't think diet soda tastes anything like regular soda, so I should be immune to this effect.
 
  • #12
Have you tried the newer ones like Coke Zero? Cherry Coke Zero? :smile:
 
  • #13
berkeman said:
Have you tried the newer ones like Coke Zero? Cherry Coke Zero? :smile:

What exactly is the difference between Coke Zero and just regular Diet Coke, anyway? I tried a taste test between the two and on some friends and nobody could tell the difference, the results were basically chance.

They're both zero calories, they both use aspartame, and they both have exactly the same ingredients. The only difference on the label is that the aspartame is like the third ingredient in one and the fourth in the other, I don't remember which is which. But that's it, otherwise they are identical.
 
  • #14
For me, Diet Coke has the softest, round kind of flavor. Diet Pepsi is a bit sharper, and Coke Zero is the sharpest. I prefer Coke Zero, but drink all three off and on. I'm pretty sure I could tell the difference in a blind taste test. But maybe that's not such a good skill after all... :smile:
 
  • #15
The problem is with aspartame. I think food labelling should be updated. '0 calories' in 'diet' soda is a marketing thing. There should be another way to show people that something has a negative effect on health. Perhaps a glycemic index or something.

PS I'm still waiting for cis-fats to be on labels.
 
  • #16
You mean trans fats?
 
  • #17
Greg, if you wish to drink a beverage of pH 4 or less, then drink orange juice. At least it contains a few nutrients, contains a natural concentration of real sugar, and generally does not contain ant poison.
 
  • #18
DiracPool said:
What exactly is the difference between Coke Zero and just regular Diet Coke, anyway? I tried a taste test between the two and on some friends and nobody could tell the difference, the results were basically chance.

They're both zero calories, they both use aspartame, and they both have exactly the same ingredients. The only difference on the label is that the aspartame is like the third ingredient in one and the fourth in the other, I don't remember which is which. But that's it, otherwise they are identical.

Caffeine?
 
  • #19
Just rule out processed drinks all together, including those with 25% fruit juice (haha).

By the term processed, that would include Coffee o_o
 
  • #20
I am an overweight male but here is my game plan:

1. Never drink diet.

2. Never drink soda.

3. If you are at a movie theatre or a restaurant get ice tea.

4. If you want extra points, get spakling water.
 
  • #21
Diet soda drinkers have the same health issues as those who drink regular soda, according to a new report published Wednesday.

Immediately I thought to myself, "what were the daily diets like for the diet soda drinkers vs regular soda drinkers". Were the daily diets comparable? Where did said diets lay on the health spectrum? The article does not address these very important parameters. Unless these issues are addressed, I wouldn't take the study to heart.
 

1. Is diet soda really worse for you than regular soda?

While diet soda may seem like a healthier option because it contains zero calories, it can actually be more harmful than regular soda. This is because diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, which have been linked to various health issues such as weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and even cancer.

2. What are the potential health risks of drinking diet soda?

Some potential health risks associated with drinking diet soda include weight gain, increased risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, changes in gut bacteria, and an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Additionally, the artificial sweeteners in diet soda have been linked to headaches, depression, and other mood disorders.

3. Can drinking diet soda lead to weight gain?

Despite being marketed as a healthier alternative to regular soda, studies have shown that people who consume diet soda regularly are more likely to gain weight than those who do not. This may be due to the artificial sweeteners in diet soda, which can actually increase sugar cravings and lead to overeating.

4. Is it safe to consume diet soda in moderation?

While there is no definitive answer, most experts agree that consuming diet soda in moderation is unlikely to cause significant harm. However, it is important to note that the long-term effects of artificial sweeteners are still not fully understood and more research is needed to determine their safety.

5. What are some healthier alternatives to diet soda?

If you are looking to cut back on soda consumption, there are plenty of healthier alternatives to diet soda. Some options include flavored sparkling water, unsweetened iced tea, or fruit-infused water. You can also try gradually reducing your soda intake and replacing it with water or other low-calorie beverages.

Similar threads

  • General Discussion
3
Replies
78
Views
9K
Back
Top