is Diet Soda bad for you?

I have been drinking a lot of diet soda lately.. it makes me feel full throughtout the day.. but it is bad while losing weight?

From what I've heard, it's a lot better than regular soda, but still not the best.

I know I drink more than I should, but I'm working on weaning myself off.  I'm one of those guys that could drink two 2L bottles of Coke in an evening if I was watching movies, so the fact that I'm down to 1L of Coke Zero on average is a lot of steps in the right direction.

You are no doubt going to be told that water is the best option, and I've been drinking a lot more water than I used to, and I have Crystal Light on hand in a variety of flavors.

http://caloriecount.about.com/effect-diet-sod a-metabolism-weight-loss-q1874

http://caloriecount.about.com/aspartame-bad-q 1194

http://caloriecount.about.com/diet-soda-q2407

Lots of discussions about this topic as well.

Ok, so I'm not going through the links. This might be in them.

1. I drink diet sodas too, but they really aren't that great for you

2. They keep your body/tongue accustomed to the taste of overly sweet things, this can make cravings more frequent and harder to control.

3. There is some research saying it hurts metabolism. Basically, when you drink diet soda, your body tastes 'sweet' and gets ready to start doing something with all the sugars and calories, and then nothing comes. Eventually your body gets used to it and may not be paying attention to when you actually do eat sugar, and it stores it instead of burning it.

4. God only knows what more we'll know about the effects of artificial sugars after we've been using them a bit longer.

The bad thing about diet soda is aspartame.  That stuff is seriously seriously bad for you and interferes with how your body processes and eliminates fat.  The soft drink itself won't add any calories or fat in and of itself, but the aspartame will affect and hinder elimation of fats you are ingesting from other sources.  Aspartame is in so many products, you have no idea.  It's insidious.  Many of the low-fat, low-calorie yogurts are sweetened with it as are lots of other "diet" foods.  It isn't trumpted on the front of the label, but if you look at the ingredients, there it is:  Nutrasweet, aspartame, sucralose and there may be other names for it as well. 

I have a kind of a bug about aspartame even though the government says its perfectly safe.  Smoking was also good for you for about 100 years too. 

If you can find sodas sweetened with xylitol, use that instead.  It's not calorie free but it doesn't have the same physical interactions either. 

Sucralose and Asparatame are two chemically distinct sweeteners.  Do you mean that they both have the same effect on the body?

Artificial sweeteners are not good for you.

http://www.emaxhealth.com/11/586.html

Don't buy into everything you read on the Internet, can't believe I have to tell people that.

Most websites with claims about artificial sweeteners are hogwash trash.  Do your own research and make a decision for yourself, almost every person who comments on these threads, more than likely, read there information from bad source.

Its just as bad as the "lose ten pounds in 1 weeks" adds, but for some reason people buy into them more often.

I don't really have any opinion on aspartame or other artificial sweeteners like some other people here, but I do have this to say:

Diet soda definitely isn't GOOD for you.  That doesn't mean that it is bad for you.  I chucked all soda out of my diet about a month and a half ago, and I feel great.  In any case, I stopped drinking it because it had no nutritional value and I did notice that it upped my craving for sweet things.  I'd rather drink water, which is necessary for good health.  I now get my caffeine from one shot of espresso (no sugar added) or a green tea w/out sugar. 

Original Post by minda_spk:

1. I drink diet sodas too, but they really aren't that great for you

2. ......

 5. There is no definite consensus that artificial sweeteners are bad or good for you....so I prefer to err on the side of conservatism when dealing with my health and avoid things I can't be sure aren't bad.  Splenda was discovered while making rat poisioning for God's sake! 

I would stick to diet while you wean yourself all together, but maybe try getting in some fruit juice (like an 8oz glass), when you're really craving a sweet drink, at least you'll get some vitamins out of it.  Low/no calorie definitely isn't always the best option.

PS Water will also give you the same full feeling...it just won't give your tastebuds the sweetness.

Don't listen to those focusing on artificial sweeteners. YES, TOO MUCH OF ANY SODA IS BAD FOR YOU, DIET OR NOT.

While artificial sweeteners aren't necessarily bad for you (though huge amounts NutraSweet DO have some proven cognitive affect in some people,) using ANY soda as a diet aid IS detrimental to your health, and here is why:

Sodas contain a lot of phosphoric acid, which binds calcium, magnesium, and zinc together into a form you will later lose in your urine, which will be overstimulated by the caffeine -- so your bones and teeth lose out on those nutrients and more. Also, the boost in metabolism from the caffeine makes your liver dump sugar into your blood stream and the artificial sweetness seems to stimulate insulin production, so if you have ANY kind of insulin/sugar issue, even diet soda can affect this, making your body eventually grab all available sugars and turn them into fat.

Also, the carbonation helps stretch your stomach, so you'll stay dependent on soda to feel "full" rather than letting your stomach adjust to your new eating habits.

A couple of sodas a day can be made up for by your body, because bodies are amazing at making up for a little damage.  But if you are drinking many sodas a day to suppress your appetite, you are probably doing damage to your bones & teeth, and also your diet.

I have not had any bad experiences with splenda, but aspartame gives me migraines.

I recently Dumped all my diet drinks down the drain due to the artificial sweetners! I don't want to take that chance, and there is wrong information on BOTH sides Pro and Com Apartame So read up and use your own reasoning! However, since I have stopped the diet sodas(and I was big on them) I found my weight has gone down eleven pounds AND after a few weeks I felt better all around!

I have been restraining myself from saying anything about this reply but I get notification every time a new answer is posted and each time I see it, it annoys the heck out of me:

Original Post by frokusblakah:

 

Don't buy into everything you read on the Internet, can't believe I have to tell people that.

Most websites with claims about artificial sweeteners are hogwash trash.  Do your own research and make a decision for yourself, almost every person who comments on these threads, more than likely, read there (sic)  information from bad  (sic) source.

Its just as bad as the "lose ten pounds in 1 weeks" adds (sic), but for some reason people buy into them more often.

It's not that frok doesn't agree with me, it's the insulting tone of the post and the implication that anyone who doesn't believe aspartame is safe is brain dead.  I actually believe that people who blindly accept that it doesn't have any effect on your health are the more likely types to buy into the "lose ten pounds in 1 week" ads.  There is a lot of controversy over its testing, approval and "safety" that is conveniently left unmentioned.  On the other hand, if you're into aspartame, have at it.  It'll go really well with the genetically modified produce now available everywhere.  I feel sorry for people that aren't educated to question and believe what is spoon-fed to them just because some scientists said it was okay.  That's  what is "hogwash trash".  Ask who the scientist is working for, especially if there is controversy from their peers.

Health issues aside, i find all carbonated drinks make me bloated.  

My guess is that part of the reason diet soda makes you feel full is that caffeine is an appetite suppressant.  I really like drinking green tea (which supposedly has a lot of heath benefits) or cold brew iced tea throughout the day. Both have some caffeine, and you can keep you stomach full of liquid.  You would probably get a similar fullness effects to soda with out risking that diet soda is giving you cancer or secretly making you crave sweets.

It can assist in people's sugar cravings or it can lead to cravings........They have 0 calories-studies show they do not fool the brain in thinking it's sugar in any way-they don't create an insulin response........I still wouldn't advocate drinking this stuff other than periodically. Drink water. Have a piece of fruit if you have a sugar craving........

I've quitted diet soda 2 months ago and i highly recommend it to everyone..

Although it has no calories,it contains a lot of sodium which bloats you,esp. the stomach and the legs,and causes cellulite.I lost 2 lbs by getting rid of that crap.Just have a lot of water and fresh fruit and fruit juice.

In a recent study from the Univ. of Texas, they found that people who drank diet soft drinks actually ended up gaining more weight than people who drank regular soft drinks, although they're not sure why:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink -more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight

So, I would say that drinking diet sodas is a real no-no if you're trying to lose weight.  Sodas of any kind are also very bad for your bones, as someone mentioned above...I knew a man in his 30s who drank at least 6 cans of coke a day and developed osteoporosis...a man in his 30s!

Diet soda is my BIG TIME vice lol.  I like the sweetness and the carbonation and the fact that it has zero calories.  However, I drink way too much of it.  I drink a lot of liquids in general so sounds like I need to start incorporating more water.  Gonna start out slowly, adding in more water and hopefully it will be easier to adjust that way. 

I used to be a sweet tea fiend a few years ago but gave it up.  So I am sure I can do the same with diet soda or at least drink a lot less of it.

Original Post by mesize8:

In a recent study from the Univ. of Texas, they found that people who drank diet soft drinks actually ended up gaining more weight than people who drank regular soft drinks, although they're not sure why:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink -more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight

So, I would say that drinking diet sodas is a real no-no if you're trying to lose weight.  Sodas of any kind are also very bad for your bones, as someone mentioned above...I knew a man in his 30s who drank at least 6 cans of coke a day and developed osteoporosis...a man in his 30s!

 

That's a pretty common type of study or non clinical study. The basic flaw is that people that aren't overweight or obese who also drink either regular or diet pop, it's pretty much a non issue. Studying obese people is a little different because as people become more obese and overweight they will try and reduce their total calories and regular pop is an easy one because they can still drink diet, therefore a corrolation can be made as people gain more weight they increase their intake of diet pop. Correlation is not causation.

Original Post by neanderthin:

Original Post by mesize8:

In a recent study from the Univ. of Texas, they found that people who drank diet soft drinks actually ended up gaining more weight than people who drank regular soft drinks, although they're not sure why:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20050613/drink -more-diet-soda-gain-more-weight

So, I would say that drinking diet sodas is a real no-no if you're trying to lose weight.  Sodas of any kind are also very bad for your bones, as someone mentioned above...I knew a man in his 30s who drank at least 6 cans of coke a day and developed osteoporosis...a man in his 30s!

 

That's a pretty common type of study or non clinical study. The basic flaw is that people that aren't overweight or obese who also drink either regular or diet pop, it's pretty much a non issue. Studying obese people is a little different because as people become more obese and overweight they will try and reduce their total calories and regular pop is an easy one because they can still drink diet, therefore a corrolation can be made as people gain more weight they increase their intake of diet pop. Correlation is not causation.

Point taken...and as it turns out, the guy with osteoporosis was in fact quite thin.  I don't drink the stuff because I don't like putting crap in my body, with sugar or with aspartame, it's all junk in my opinion.