The Truth About Diet Soda

Nothing I didn't know, or couldn't figure, before. And it won't stop me from drinking the stuff. ;)
Mmmmm, diet Dr. Pepper <3
 
Ya know .. any time I see an article that begins with "The truth about ..." I have a knee-jerk reaction.

The thing is that most of these "the truth about" articles are nothing more than scare tactics. It's the same as the "what the X industry doesn't want you to know" articles. Nothing more than sensationalist media designed to get you to fall in line like a lemming.

There are some good points in that article and there are some utter bullshit points. One that particularly made me crack up is the bit about "diet sodas have no nutritional value". You wanna know something funny? WATER has no nutritional value either. :) Real, pure water has no vitamins, no minerals, no nutritional value except that it provides moisture. As does soda and diet soda.

Each person has to decide for themselves whether or not they want to consume artificial sweeteners, and therefore to drink diet sodas. I think there are valid points to either side of the debate.

I personally choose to drink Diet Coke IN MODERATION. That means I have 2 a week, on average. Sometimes I want the fizzyness and the caffeine. I choose to drink Diet Coke because it gives me the fizz and the caffeine w/out the added sugar. I don't personally believe that the artificial sweetener in 2 Diet Cokes a week is a deal breaker. Others do and I totally respect that.

But "the truth" about diet soda or any other artificial product is that YOU have to research it for yourself and make a decision. And I mean RESEARCH, not read scare tactic websites ... but read both points of view and make an EDUCATED AND INFORMED decision.

That, I respect. "The truth about" ... I don't respect at all.
 
I found the article's summation to be reasoned:

The bottom line is this: Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you harm.
 
Couldn't the same be said for a lot of things?

High fructose corn syrup, for example. Does it do you any good? Does regular soda? Does saturated fat? Although if drinking diet soda once or twice a month reduces my stress levels and hydrates me, I'd think that's something at least!

And if switching to diet soda keeps my brother from drinking an extra 1000 calories in a day... still seems like some good. Although it seems like whether or not it does any good is determined by the individual.
 
I am an artificial sweetner junkie.

it POSSIBLY may do harm, but so does being fat. ill take my chances.
I know i should drink water..all the time..but sorry i cant stand it unless after sweating or doing something strenuous.

but as far as people saying "It does you harm because it makes you crave more sugar in the end, gaining weight."
Sorry I lost 75 pounds ...drinking diet sodas and artificial sweetners in teas, koolaid etc.

but seriously, more power to people who only drink water. I wish I would but..blehhh. hahah
 
Like everything, if taken in moderation will do you no harm. One glass of wine is good for you but a bottle, not so much. I agree that "the Truth about" articles are always more about scaring you that providing straigth facts.

When in doubt, drink water, oh no wait I read that certain brands contain high levels of chlorine, ooohhh scary. LOL!
 
KaraCooks said:
Ya know .. any time I see an article that begins with "The truth about ..." I have a knee-jerk reaction.

The thing is that most of these "the truth about" articles are nothing more than scare tactics. It's the same as the "what the X industry doesn't want you to know" articles. Nothing more than sensationalist media designed to get you to fall in line like a lemming.

There are some good points in that article and there are some utter bullshit points. One that particularly made me crack up is the bit about "diet sodas have no nutritional value". You wanna know something funny? WATER has no nutritional value either. :) Real, pure water has no vitamins, no minerals, no nutritional value except that it provides moisture. As does soda and diet soda.

Each person has to decide for themselves whether or not they want to consume artificial sweeteners, and therefore to drink diet sodas. I think there are valid points to either side of the debate.

I personally choose to drink Diet Coke IN MODERATION. That means I have 2 a week, on average. Sometimes I want the fizzyness and the caffeine. I choose to drink Diet Coke because it gives me the fizz and the caffeine w/out the added sugar. I don't personally believe that the artificial sweetener in 2 Diet Cokes a week is a deal breaker. Others do and I totally respect that.

But "the truth" about diet soda or any other artificial product is that YOU have to research it for yourself and make a decision. And I mean RESEARCH, not read scare tactic websites ... but read both points of view and make an EDUCATED AND INFORMED decision.

That, I respect. "The truth about" ... I don't respect at all.
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Couldn't agree with you more!
 
I can not stand the taste of anything diet. Whether they are good, or bad, I will always choose water or juice over a diet soda. If I'm not drinking the real thing, I'll skip the diet stuff.
 
if im going to drink soda its always the real thing i don't mess around with diet soda's thay don't tastes the same ever and there still just as bad for ya just in other ways
 
I never touch diet anything. I've always believed that having less of something real is better for me. I scare easily though.
 
Blancita said:
I found the article's summation to be reasoned:

The bottom line is this: Diet soda does you no good, and it might just be doing you harm.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a load of bollocks to me, if you had a can of coke, and a can of diet coke, then clearly diet just saved you 200 odd calories, thats a good thing!
I have to quote some of this garbage to put it into perspective, because its been carefully worded so it SOUNDS like they have a lot of FACTS but they don't

"emerging research" - Wheres the actual research? with facts on large number and wide range of groups (rather than a couple of college test cases)

"There remain some concerns over aspartame" - No there doesnt, there are bunches of fanatics who spread tons of unknowledgeable "facts"

"some animal research has linked " - But again no facts and animals are genetically made differently (I cant believe they are still testing on animals!)

A bunch of other things right away make me think twice about the entire story
"suggests that", "may lead to", "reported side effects",


So, IMHO, Im not saying Diet is good for you at all, but that article is really biased and baseless without any facts or references. :)

treehugger said:
I never touch diet anything. I've always believed that having less of something real is better for me. I scare easily though.
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So you're saying you never eat Takeaways ever? Nothing processed? bwahah :)
 
Unfortunately the body is FAR more complex than a mere machine that simply takes in gas or electricity and then uses up that exact amount. There are numerous studies that determined the opposite. Here's just one example of the theories on why artificial sweeteners MAY do more harm than good.



"The data clearly indicate that consuming a food sweetened with no-calorie saccharin can lead to greater body-weight gain and adiposity than would consuming the same food sweetened with a higher-calorie sugar," the authors wrote.

The authors acknowledge that this outcome may seem counterintuitive and might not come as welcome news to human clinical researchers and health-care practitioners, who have long recommended low- or no-calorie sweeteners. What's more, the data come from rats, not humans. However, they noted that their findings match emerging evidence that people who drink more diet drinks are at higher risk for obesity and metabolic syndrome, a collection of medical problems such as abdominal fat, high blood pressure and insulin resistance that put people at risk for heart disease and diabetes.

Why would a sugar substitute backfire" Swithers and Davidson wrote that sweet foods provide a "salient orosensory stimulus" that strongly predicts someone is about to take in a lot of calories. Ingestive and digestive reflexes gear up for that intake but when false sweetness isn't followed by lots of calories, the system gets confused. Thus, people may eat more or expend less energy than they otherwise would.

Sure there is the possibility that artificial sweeteners have no harmful effects, but if there is the opposite possibility I personally dont find it worth it more than once in a blue moon. I mostly see overweight people using artificial sweeteners and drinking diet soda, not really normal weighted people as much. To each his own :).
 
and again, may i point out to you
"The data clearly indicate that " does not mean "this is fact, here are the numbers"
You need to remember that a journo is not a scientist, and a news paper is not a study. Whilst a Journo tries to relay the facts to the lesser mortals, they often get things wrong because they dont understand as well, and this ends up as Urban Legends.

This btw, isnt so much about the whole sugar/diet thing, but more than people need to take these things into account when reading things online :)
I work as a Tech Blogger for a fairly major NZ news website, amazingly, a lot of journos are really technophobic and can barely use a computer (not all of them either! just a lot!). So why are they reporting on computing things?
Example: Recently a guy signed up a second login on a website to discredit some trader whom had blocked him (similar to ebay site). The news paper called him "computer expert" and "hacker" because he was able to signup another username. WTF?! :O

As for the diet coke thing, i drink it most a fair bit, better that than booze or sugar drinks if im going out. Ive managed to loose a shitload more than most people. To be fair, for the most part of loosing the weight i think it would be fair to say i drank copious amounts of it :D
 
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Ok, I'm going to trot this one out again.

The Invisible Killer

Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

Dihydrogen monoxide:
  • is also known as hydroxl acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
  • contributes to the "greenhouse effect."
  • may cause severe burns.
  • contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
  • accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
  • may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
  • has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.
Contamination Is Reaching Epidemic Proportions!

Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream, lake, and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. DHMO has caused millions of dollars of property damage in the US.

Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:
  • as an industrial solvent and coolant.
  • in nuclear power plants.
  • in the production of styrofoam.
  • as a fire retardant.
  • in many forms of cruel animal research.
  • in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical.
  • as an additive in certain "junk-foods" and other food products.

Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done to stop them because this practice is still legal. The impact on wildlife is extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!

The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution, or use of this damaging chemical due to its "importance to the economic health of this nation." In fact, the navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations.

Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly sophisticated underground distribution network. Many store large quantities or later use.
Click to expand...

The article goes on to talk about how you should write your government officials and demand that they address this issue.

What is Dihydrogen Monoxide? H2O. Water.

:D

So you know - any study can be written in such a way as to give whatever perception the writer wants it to give. And while it's good to be cautious, it's also good to NOT be paranoid.
 
Sorry I know how to read and interpret what I'm reading. Sure, it may be safe but there is also evidence that it may NOT be safe. People react differently to things. Drink it to your hearts content :).
 
I drink my calculated allocation of water every day - then happily go over to diet cola because I prefer the taste.

It hasnt reversed my weight losses and I havent keeled over because of it.

I drink more diet cola than I did in the middle of my project principally because I weigh less so calculate a lower allocation of water before I feel I have a choice in the matter.

I accept that diet cola is not as good for me as water - but I figure that I am only human and I am allowed the odd treat. I drink next to no alcohol (maybe 6 units over the past 2.5 years) and I happily drink diet cola when out socialising. Sometimes we should just allow ourselves to have what we enjoy and not worry too much about maybes...
 
I drink diet coke, maybe one or two cans a week, which i don't think is harming me significantly. I don't drink alcohol at all (since two months ago), or any other fizzy drinks other than cloudy lemonade (cos it's ammmazing). Mostly drink water or green tea.
 
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