While hormones do play a role in weight loss, the main determining factor will always be an energy balance (calories in vs. calories out). Almost every popular sugar-sweetened beverage on the market has a “light” or a “diet” version — Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Pepsi Max, Sprite Zero, etc. [16]Â, If you find yourself drinking lots of diet soda, consider mixing in some coffee or tea as a partial replacement.Â. Experimental studies show positive effects on weight loss, but these might be influenced by industry funding. One explanation for this conflicting information is that most of the research is observational. Other cleaning-related uses for diet coke are that it is good to clean rusted battery terminals, clean toilets and polish cars. Next time, try an alternative like milk, coffee, black or herbal tea, or fruit-infused water. Or did you struggle with weight loss until finally dropping diet soda out of your daily consumption as well? Artificial sweeteners (like aspartame) can make you sick or cause cancer. Even more so those last two points (because of all the sugar and calories). Therefore, while some of the research sounds quite alarming, more high quality experimental studies are needed before concrete conclusions can be drawn about the health effects of diet soda. One study found that the daily consumption of diet drinks during pregnancy doubled the risk of a baby being overweight at 1 year of age (45). If you use diet soda for low-calorie cocktail, it can cause more damage than good. Drinking tea has been linked to many health benefits, including weight loss. Most varieties contain zero or very few calories and no significant nutrition. One payment, lifetime access. Should you be drinking diet soda? Do high-intensity sweeteners trick our body into releasing hormones (insulin)? And it isn’t even related to caffeine! Additionally, infants of mothers who drank diet soda while pregnant are at an increased risk of being overweight. , the switch to diet would be a good move.Â, This is why one of our top recommendations to our, Get comfortable in the kitchen and experiment with, , then maybe consider replacing diet soda with tea, coffee, or carbonated water. It seems to contradict the laws of physics. Fatty liver disease affects about 25% of people globally. A suggested cause for the kidney damage is the high phosphorus content of soda, which may increase the acid load on the kidneys (36, 37). a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently. © 2005-2020 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. She says this goes for diet soda or regular soda. The logic applied by some, is that if diet coke can clean coins, it can`t be good for your insides, which seems reasonable. Coffee is the biggest source of antioxidants in the diet. [3] This is concerning considering there are eight approved high-intensity sweeteners in use. For example, one 12-ounce (354-mL) can of Diet Coke contains no calories, sugar, fat, or protein and 40 mg of sodium . Research has found that just one serving of an artificially sweetened drink per day is associated with an 8–13% higher risk of type 2 diabetes (22, 23). But if that cloud is made of diet soda — a replacement for the real thing — you may have just created new problems. The high-intensity sweeteners sucralose and saccharin were both shown to provide a small insulin response in men. Further research is needed to analyze the potential biological causes and long-term health risks for children exposed to artificially sweetened sodas in the womb. In one study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists found that participants who drank one litre of a diet fizzy drink daily gained 1.5kg after six months. This slows down the fat-burning process. 2. [2] You’ll find them in all sorts of food products, not just diet drinks.Â, Because high-intensity sweeteners are many times sweeter than table sugar, you can make a drink taste “sweet” without including any sugar at all.Â. Our strategy is to take it slow, to make small changes to alter these cravings. They may be due to preexisting risk factors like obesity. – This self-paced online course has helped 50,000 people get results permanently.Â, We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so.Â, Start Eating Healthy Without Being Miserable, Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace, What you need to know about weight loss and healthy eating, 3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target. Diet sodas utilize “high-intensity sweeteners” which is a fancy term for very-low-calorie (or zero-calorie) sugar substitutes: The FDA has approved these eight high-intensity sweeteners for human consumption. You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Diet sodas have zero calories. Because no cancer link has ever been shown for the human consumption of saccharin. If you’re trying to lose weight and currently drinking regular soda, the switch to diet would be a good move.Â. Diet soda consumption has been associated with kidney disease. The 6 Best Teas to Lose Weight and Belly Fat, 13 Health Benefits of Coffee, Based on Science, Fatty Liver: What It Is, and How to Get Rid of It, Why the Gut Microbiome Is Crucial for Your Health. After drinking Diet Coke for some time, your brain will start to associate the flavors with the carbonation, sweeteners, and caffeine. Studies done on rats have shown a positive correlation between high-intensity sweeteners and sugar cravings. A recent study analyzed the diets of 15,368 people and found that the risk of developing end-stage kidney disease increased with the number of glasses of diet soda consumed per week. They aren’t the only agency that has done so. More direct experimental research is needed to determine whether there’s any true causal relationship between diet soda and increased blood sugar or blood pressure. And folks have looked. 12 Common Food Additives — Should You Avoid Them? [12]Â, Not everything that is cancerous to rats is harmful to people, and vice versa.Â. It has many health benefits, such as improved brain function and a lower risk of serious…, Drinking sugary drinks is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. A study in almost 60,000 women found that women who consumed one serving of diet soda per day were 1.4 times more likely to deliver preterm than those who did not (42). The Coca-Cola Company hires folks to find the perfect combination of: How do you know if you have an addiction? Which is why we work closely to identify possible food addictions in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, so we can start to work through them together. This is a great first step. Something with a clear “. Observational studies have linked diet soda to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and an increased risk of stroke. My conclusion is that these factors are. If you eat a bunch  of sugary and sweet food regularly, your body can start to crave more of it. We investigated to find out whether soda water is really good for you. However, to add to the confusion, there’s evidence of bias in the scientific literature. Studies funded by the artificial sweetener industry have been found to have more favorable outcomes than non-industry studies, which may undermine the validity of their results (21). Contrary to popular belief, diet soda (defined as calorie free carbonated beverages sweetened with aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame-potassium, or other non-caloric or minimally caloric sweeteners) doesn't inhibit fat loss, or spike insulin levels. A study in 64,850 women noted artificially sweetened drinks were associated with a 21% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Discover 18 of them here, such as cereal, Vitaminwater, and…, If you’re like about one half of the American population, you drink at least one sugary drink on a daily basis — and there’s a good chance it’s soda…, These 12 food additives are widely used to enhance the appearance, flavor or shelf life of foods. Learn more here! You don’t have to go cold turkey on this one:Â, This is the exact strategy we follow with our 1-on-1 Online Coaching clients, and it’s the most likely to succeed.Â. As long as you remember: “correlation doesn’t prove causation!”Â. Drinking a reasonable amount of diet soda a day, such as a can or two, isn't likely to hurt you. Let us help you decide! 3 Simple rules we follow every day to stay on target. So the concerns of drinking diet soda would also be found in drinking regular soda…even more so. So, technically, Diet Coke in the abstract doesn’t make you gain weight. Our strategy is to take it slow, to make small changes to alter these cravings. This means it observes trends, but there’s a lack of information about whether diet soda intake is a cause or simply associated with the true cause. In fact, the research conflicts itself in certain instances. It’s important to note that these studies were only observational and offer no explanation of exactly how diet soda may contribute to preterm birth. Additionally, one study has linked diet soda to a small increase in the risk of stroke, but this was only based on observational data (33). The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make. We don’t know. Drinking diet soda will make you crave real sugar. Because most of the studies were observational, it may be that the association could be explained another way. Observational studies link diet soda with obesity. While it may seem like the better choice, diet soda still has health risks. Overall, more high quality research is needed to determine the true effects of diet soda on weight loss. Yes, Diet Coke does not contain any calories and calories do play a part in weight-loss and weight-gain. 1  It's not all cut and dried, though. ), How many diet sodas can I have in a day?Â. Even more so those last two points (because of all the sugar and calories).[22]Â. If you’re in the mood for a fizzy drink, consider a much healthier option: kombucha. Instead of sugar, artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, cyclamates, saccharin, acesulfame-k, or sucralose, are used to sweeten them. Which will make you start craving the flavor of Diet Coke. Is drinking diet soda bad for weight loss? [11] A lot. Okay, but only because you’ve been nice this whole time: #1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently. most of them contain exactly zero nutrients. This new development may have been especially hopeful for people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who were looking for options to enjoy sweet beverages while minimizing their sugar intake. Weight loss depends on consuming fewer calories than you burn, so drinking Diet Coke compared to regular Coke can help tip the equation in favor of “weight loss.”. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. Caffeine in moderate amounts is fine, but if you go overboard you could increase your anxiety and interfere with your sleep. We help our clients navigate challenges with soda and diet soda in our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program, and we’re gonna tell you everything you need about diet soda below. More studies are being done on individual high-intensity. How about aspartame or any of these other high-intensity sweeteners…. soda is also linked to kidney disease, teeth erosion, and obesity. While the sweeteners in diet soda have been approved safe for human consumption, there is a limit to this approval. Diet coke could make you fat… I know this is a controversial topic, so let me explain. They aren’t the only agency that has done so. “Steve, hold the phone here! It’s water, some kind of sweetener (sugar or not), flavoring, coloring, and carbonation. Diet Coke Can Clean Coins, So It Can`t Be Good! The most important thing you can do now? You’re starting to ask questions and you’re looking for answers. Kind of like a good hot sauce.Â. If you’re starting your weight loss journey and wondering where diet soda fits into the picture, I want you to know I’m proud of you. Read, “Effect of a Common Diet and Regular Beverage on Enamel Erosion in Various Temperatures: An In-Vitro Study.” Source. Since most diet sodas have next to zero calories, I’d say the insulin response of high-intensity sweeteners isn’t that important for your weight loss journey. However, it should be noted that diet soda is not the only place high-intensity sweeteners are found.Â. “Steve, hold the phone here! More studies are being done on individual high-intensity sweeteners as we speak, so expect new information on the subject to unfold. However, recent research in 8,914 women in England did not find any association between diet cola and preterm delivery. have a poorer diet than those who don’t? would only put a small fraction of a dent in that. This “addiction” makes sense considering the beverage was designed to hijack your brain’s reward system. Aspartame does not appear to elicit the same hormone response. Another theory suggests that diet soda’s correlation to weight gain may be explained by people with bad dietary habits drinking more of it. This article lets you know which are safe and which…. Just about every week, it seems, a new study warns of another potential health risk linked to soft drinks. This article focuses on the 6 best teas to lose weight and belly fat. Just click on the image below for more details: Our coaching program changes lives. Diet soda does not promote weight loss, contrary to popular belief. There’s enough unanswered questions on consuming diet soda to warrant the switch.Â, Pick something you can track. #3) Join The Rebellion! Those who consumed the high-intensity sweeteners found their sugar craving to be LOWER. While recipes differ from brand to brand, some common ingredients in diet soda include: Diet soda is a mixture of carbonated water, artificial or natural sweeteners, colors, flavors, and extra components like vitamins or caffeine. The weight gain they experience may be caused by their existing dietary habits — not diet soda (16, 17). Regular sodas are full of calories, 140 per can and up. Australia, the EU, Japan, and Canada have all reviewed and approved these sweeteners. Before you use this article as justification to start drinking a six-pack of Diet Coke a day, let’s talk about some other possible concerns. (Is aspartame or saccharin dangerous? Earlier I stated the FDA, the United States’ regulation agency, approved eight high-intensity sweeteners. There are far better targets in the quest to eat healthy, like eating lots of vegetables and eating enough protein at every meal. Conversely, a recent review found that diet soda is not associated with an increased risk of diabetes. Similarly to regular soda, drinking diet sodas like Coke Zero is associated with an increased risk of tooth erosion. Most important, without the sugar, you’re skipping out on all the calories that come with it. Read, “Diet Soda Consumption and Risk of Incident End Stage Renal Disease.” Source. The question becomes, do the high-intensity sweeteners found in diet soda make us crave sugary foods? Current research that attempts to link diet … A Norwegian study in 60,761 pregnant women found that intake of artificially sweetened and sugar-containing drinks was associated with an 11% higher risk of preterm delivery (41). Should we be worried about the ingredients of diet soda causing us harm? One observational study noted that diet soda drinkers have a slightly increased risk of kidney stone development, but the risk was much smaller than the risk associated with drinking regular soda. However, it’s not clear whether diet soda is a cause of this. Does your body process all eight the same?Â, Some early studies on various sweeteners do show our bodies process them differently.[4]. Because no cancer link has ever been shown for the human consumption of saccharin. Sparkling water might help with the switch too, if you love those fizzy bubbles. "As Diet Coke has no calories and no recognised ingredients we know it is a cocktail of chemicals that encourage your body to gain and store weight especially on … “Carbonated drinks, flat or otherwise, including cola, provide inadequate fluid and electrolyte replacement and cannot be recommended,” the study authors declared in … Have a Nerd Fitness Coach guide your fitness journey instead! Read “The role of taste in cephalic phase of insulin secretion.” Source. Currently available research into diet soda and long-term health risks is insufficient, although there are specific areas where risks are unlikely. 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