We've all seen it on cans, television ads and boxes. "Zero calories." "Made with Splenda." "No Sugar Added." So we fall for all these slogans. Hey, no sugar and zero calories it must be just fine. We put a case or two in our shopping cart. Is it really okay to drink diet soda on a regular basis? Millions of Americans believe that diet soda is not harmful to your health.
Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday and I observed my husband drink four cans of diet soda during the game. I don't buy the stuff because I know that it is bad for you but he still believes that it is just fine. We were at his parents house and they always have plenty of the sweet zero calorie beverage on hand.
So I decided to do some research to find out exactly why this beverage is bad for you. That's when I came across this study which was conducted last year and a well written article by a college student explaining the study and conclusions. Scroll down to read the article.
Drinking diet sodas that contain artificial sweeteners such as Splenda or NutraSweet may actually cause weight gain, according to a recent study.
The study, which was published last month by researchers at the University of Minnesota, found that people who drank at least one can of diet soda a day were 34 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than people who didn’t drink any soda at all.
Metabolic syndrome is a condition defined by an increase in waist circumference, blood pressure and levels of sugar, cholesterol and fats in the blood.
In comparison, people who drank one can of regular soda a day were only 10 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome.
The study tracked the health and dietary habits of over 9,000 middle-aged Americans for nine years, and excluded anyone who already had metabolic syndrome.
“It is interesting that drinking diet soda had a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than the regular stuff,” said Lyn Steffen, an associate professor of immunology at the University of Minnesota who conducted the study.
The study does not necessarily show that diet soda is in some way causing the development of metabolic syndrome, though.
“Right now we’re just looking at observational data. ... We can’t say that diet soda is causing anything,” Steffen said.
One explanation for the increased incidence of metabolic syndrome in people who drink diet soda is they might be compensating for other unhealthy eating habits.
“In my experience someone that is drinking diet soda is eating other unhealthy things and is overcompensating with higher calorie foods,” said Alona Zerlin, a dietician at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition.
Another possible explanation for the study’s findings is the diet beverages are actually making people hungrier. When people drink diet soda their bodies are expecting calories, and when the calories don’t appear they are likely to eat other things, said Zhaoping Li, an associate professor of clinical medicine at UCLA.
“With artificial sweeteners we are tasting the sweet flavor but are not receiving the calories that are supposed to come along with it. ... Pretty soon you’ll end up with chips or other foods to compensate,” Li said.
Another recent study, which was conducted by researchers at Purdue University and published last week, seems to support this theory.
In their study, they found rats that were fed yogurt with an artificial sweetener called saccharin actually gained more weight than rats that were fed naturally sweetened yogurt. The study also found the reason the rats eating the artificially sweetened yogurt were gaining weight was because they were eating more.
Kristine Westly, a fifth-year business student, describes herself as an avid diet soda drinker and admits to having about two or three cans of diet soda everyday.
She almost always drinks her diet soda with a meal, she said.
“I don’t like drinking it alone; it tastes like something, but you’re not getting any nutrition from it. You end up feeling like you should have eaten something but you didn’t.”
The Calorie Control Council rejected the implications of the Purdue study’s findings, according to a recent press release by the non-profit organization, which represents over 60 manufacturers in the low-calorie and low-fat beverage industry.
The organization’s press release stated low-calorie beverages can be a useful tool in controlling weight gain and cited a recent review of scientific studies on the subject that had similar conclusions.
Westly said she thinks that though she should probably drink water or other beverages instead of soda, having a calorie-free option for people who love soda is nice.
Yet whether or not drinking diet soda is actually a healthier choice than regular soda remains somewhat of an open-ended question for researchers.
“There isn’t enough research to really say what’s going on with diet soda,” Zerlin said. “But if you’re drinking diet soda consistently everyday, there might be some implications of that.”
We've all seen it on cans, television ads and boxes. "Zero calories." "Made with Splenda." "No Sugar Added." So we fall for all these slogans. Hey, no sugar and zero calories it must be just fine. We put a case or two in our shopping cart. Is it really okay to drink diet soda on a regular basis? Millions of Americans believe that diet soda is not harmful to your health.
Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday and I observed my husband drink four cans of diet soda during the game. I don't buy the stuff because I know that it is bad for you but he still believes that it is just fine. We were at his parents house and they always have plenty of the sweet zero calorie beverage on hand.
So I decided to do some research to find out exactly why this beverage is bad for you. That's when I came across this study which was conducted last year and a well written article by a college student explaining the study and conclusions. Scroll down to read the article.
Study links diet soda to health issues
By: Nate JacobsPublished: Tuesday, February 19, 2008
In the Daily Bruin
Drinking diet sodas that contain artificial sweeteners such as Splenda or NutraSweet may actually cause weight gain, according to a recent study.
The study, which was published last month by researchers at the University of Minnesota, found that people who drank at least one can of diet soda a day were 34 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than people who didn’t drink any soda at all.
Metabolic syndrome is a condition defined by an increase in waist circumference, blood pressure and levels of sugar, cholesterol and fats in the blood.
In comparison, people who drank one can of regular soda a day were only 10 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome.
The study tracked the health and dietary habits of over 9,000 middle-aged Americans for nine years, and excluded anyone who already had metabolic syndrome.
“It is interesting that drinking diet soda had a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome than the regular stuff,” said Lyn Steffen, an associate professor of immunology at the University of Minnesota who conducted the study.
The study does not necessarily show that diet soda is in some way causing the development of metabolic syndrome, though.
“Right now we’re just looking at observational data. ... We can’t say that diet soda is causing anything,” Steffen said.
One explanation for the increased incidence of metabolic syndrome in people who drink diet soda is they might be compensating for other unhealthy eating habits.
“In my experience someone that is drinking diet soda is eating other unhealthy things and is overcompensating with higher calorie foods,” said Alona Zerlin, a dietician at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition.
Another possible explanation for the study’s findings is the diet beverages are actually making people hungrier. When people drink diet soda their bodies are expecting calories, and when the calories don’t appear they are likely to eat other things, said Zhaoping Li, an associate professor of clinical medicine at UCLA.
“With artificial sweeteners we are tasting the sweet flavor but are not receiving the calories that are supposed to come along with it. ... Pretty soon you’ll end up with chips or other foods to compensate,” Li said.
Another recent study, which was conducted by researchers at Purdue University and published last week, seems to support this theory.
In their study, they found rats that were fed yogurt with an artificial sweetener called saccharin actually gained more weight than rats that were fed naturally sweetened yogurt. The study also found the reason the rats eating the artificially sweetened yogurt were gaining weight was because they were eating more.
Kristine Westly, a fifth-year business student, describes herself as an avid diet soda drinker and admits to having about two or three cans of diet soda everyday.
She almost always drinks her diet soda with a meal, she said.
“I don’t like drinking it alone; it tastes like something, but you’re not getting any nutrition from it. You end up feeling like you should have eaten something but you didn’t.”
The Calorie Control Council rejected the implications of the Purdue study’s findings, according to a recent press release by the non-profit organization, which represents over 60 manufacturers in the low-calorie and low-fat beverage industry.
The organization’s press release stated low-calorie beverages can be a useful tool in controlling weight gain and cited a recent review of scientific studies on the subject that had similar conclusions.
Westly said she thinks that though she should probably drink water or other beverages instead of soda, having a calorie-free option for people who love soda is nice.
Yet whether or not drinking diet soda is actually a healthier choice than regular soda remains somewhat of an open-ended question for researchers.
“There isn’t enough research to really say what’s going on with diet soda,” Zerlin said. “But if you’re drinking diet soda consistently everyday, there might be some implications of that.”