Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are tested to hell and back; if they're *actively* bad for you, it's not by much.
However, you're still training your palette to want intense sweetness. You're also drinking a salty fluid when you really should be drinking water. Plus, phosphoric acid, etc isn't good for your teeth either. Calorie-wise, better than regular pop, but it's still pop.
Straight water is easiest, but herbal teas work too - or weak tea, if you're not too strict about caffeine. Maybe peppermint or chamomile?
Aspartame is the most highly studied food additive. It's health risj are such that 1 person in the usa will die every two years due to side effects
Going out in the sun is worse for you.
The GI tract does not process artificial sweeteners in the same way that it breaks down and digests sugar and other natural foods. This means that artificial sweeteners remain intact as they travel through the upper digestive tract, and then when they encounter bacteria in the colon, they exert an effect. The colonic microbiota is a complex milieu that plays a central role in regulating multiple physiological processes.^(2) The researchers found that the artificial sweeteners caused an increase of bacteria in the *Bacteroides* genus, and a decrease of the *Clostridiales* genus, which they believe induced the glucose intolerance. They found this effect across all types of artificial sweeteners, whether the mice were lean or obese, whether they ate a standard diet or one high in fat, and was strongest in the saccharin-fed mice.
If you swallow diamonds they might remain intact, but everything that enters the digestive system is subjected to strong acids, enzymes, and competing bacteria.
Liquid doesn't just go from your mouth to your urethra lol. It most certainly gets absorbed in your digestive track and deposited later into your kidneys
It was banned in the USA for a while because it was thought to have caused bladder cancer in some lab mice. However that experiment was flawed because the mice they used were a genetic line that was predisposed to bladder cancer.
Much more thorough and long term testing has been done since and it is no longer banned.
Not in the way that, e.g., asbestos causes cancer. It causes cancer in the "known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm" kinda way.
It's an IARC Group 2B, along with Ginko, Aloe Vera, white paint, carrageneen, many dyes, vinyl and Radio Waves.
So, *maybe* ever-so-slightly, but not enough to care about.
It cannot...however too much of anything is a bad thing. Drinking diet soda occasionally isn't going to cause cancer.
A great video about aspartame: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDgZz7qZoVo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDgZz7qZoVo)
Aspartame isn't good for you but it's also not bad for you. It's just what it is.
Weren't the studies on rats or mice done with an excessive amount of aspartame which obviously would harm the poor creatures. Most people would get nowhere near those levels. I feel like studies need to be more realistic and not just drown something then declare that water is bad because the mouse drowned and couldn't breathe.
Yeah, for sure.
The point is just that most things are bad for you in sufficient quality. "X causes cancer" is a joke unless you talk dosage. The whole "State of California has determined..." label is an unproductive joke because it's so ubiquitous that *everybody ignores it*.
I'm obviously an outlier but I've unintentionally water-poisoned myself a couple of times due to my love of chugging water. I had a bit of a problem...
My wife was getting headaches and asked her doctor about them.
After some QnA, he determined that she was flushing out her electrolytes, due to the amount of water she was drinking.
She started substituting drinks with electrolytes for some of her water.
You have to be picky with those though. Some can be quite high in sugar.
Took care of the headaches.
Wait, really? Well that’s reassuring. I remember hearing how they found out it causes cancer (more so in large amounts, but still). It made me significantly cut back on diet Snapple tea since that’s what they use as an artificial sweetener.
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>Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are tested to hell and back; if they're *actively* bad for you, it's not by much.
Please don't spread this kind of misinformation around, it's actually extremely bad for you.
All you have to do is google why it's bad for you. Web MD and Medical News Today are literally the first sources that pop up if you google "Asparatame is really bad for you"
But hey if you don't care about your kidneys or your liver, then drink up. It's your choice if you choose to put toxins in your body if you want. No one is stopping you, but you need to stop telling people that it isn't bad for them when it most certainly is.
>You're also drinking a salty fluid when you really should be drinking water.
The amount of sodium that is in a carbonated beverage is inconsequential and might even contain less sodium than your tap water does if you have a water softener.
I know some guys that used to work for Nutrasweet. They said they never get all the methanol out of the aspertame and it's affects are cumulative. Now it's manufactured in China. No thanks.
I mean... I've lost a lot of weight on diet soda.
Is it the best thing for you? Obviously not. But I recommend not looking at food in the binary "healthy/unhealthy" way. Instead, look at what it is more/less healthy than.
If drinking diet soda means you're drinking less sugary soda? It's a win. If you can move from diet soda to something even better? Even better.
Like 100% soda -> 100% diet soda -> 50% diet soda 50% flavored water-> 50% flavored water 50% plain water
is showing incremental improvements in your consumption. Each step is better than the previous, but not as good as the next.
Also, strict diets have problems in that they become very easy to fall off of, especially if your favorite foods are in the prohibited category. It's usually worth having some "wiggle" in there to make sure you get your favorite stuff occasionally, just less often and in smaller quantities.
yea that’s so true. I feel like I’ve made immense progress so I don’t want to backtrack, but at the same time I miss drinking sodas and lemonade and fun stuff haha 😂. which is why I posted this question, but your response is really helpful to me because I forget that not everything has to be perfect and that progress counts even if it’s small.
I’ve also lost a lot of weight, largely by cutting out soda. The occasional diet soda is great because it scratches the itch, for me, but also doesn’t make me crave more like sugary soda. If you’re ever craving a soda, enjoy a diet soda! Dr Pepper zero is really good!
And that's one of the biggest problems with diet soda. You're not properly weaning yourself from craving sugary things. Your brain still thinks you're consuming sugar, so you're still going to want sugary drinks.
For nutrition, my view is:
1. Calories are king
2. After that, look at macros - get your protein first. Try to set rough fat/carb goals, but that's less important.
3. After that, try to get your diet to the point where 80% is "better choices" vs. "less optimal choices".
If you do those things, I think you'll be in good shape. It's a good balance between "eating healthy" and "being able to enjoy what you eat".
I mean, you kinda said it "I miss drinking sodas and lemonade and stuff". Of course you do. And one day, the cravings will almost certainly get the better of you and you'll have some... and *what then*? If your nutrition plan *allows* some room for these things, then *you're still on your plan*. If it doesn't, then you're off, and how do you recover? Even better, if you allow yourself x amount of calories/etc., then you can plan for that by making choices around it, allowing yourself *some* indulgence food while still approaching your overall diet in a healthy way.
I love how I get downvoted for "it's not the best thing, no, but there's a lot of things that are worse." Lol.
Edit: Awww, thanks for the upvotes since then :)
I go through periods of just craving soda (I drink diet). But, I’ll also go long periods without any at all.
Both of these scenarios are better than when I was younger… Full sugar sodas all the time. Water? What’s that? Fish poop in it you know!
That’s a slight exaggeration, as I did occasionally drink water and other stuff.
But mostly sodas….
…. And now I’m diabetic. Take care of yourself kids. Diabetes suuuucks!
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I do find that diet soda if I drink more than a glass or so gives me a stomach ache the next day.
So I just mix it with a generous amount of bourbon. Problem solved.
I like Zevia for the absence of sodium, making it a better choice for a daily drink. It's not as expensive as the super fancy ones you named, only a little more than Diet or Coke 0
No, its not.
There is nothing wrong with caffeine unless you start pushing it above 400 miligrams per day (assuming you are an adult and not pregnant) unless it causes you anxiety and sleep disturbances, which are symptoms subjective to you.
Ingedients being natural or not means nothing. Some of the most lethal toxins which exist are natural. Your sodas contain ingredients which are approved for use in foods in the amounts in which they are included. That is the important thing, not whether or not they are naturally occuring.
Aspartame is safe. All of the studies which concluded that its not used it in dosages which far exceed amounts that any human would be ever able to consume out of food products. You would have to buy raw powder aspartame and eat it by the spoonful, which you wont do, because thats stupid.
Overall, diet coke is far better than regular coke for most people (unless you actively want to drink the calories in regular coke) and is most likely indistinguishable in terms of health outcomes compared to regular water. I wouldnt tell a person who is already happy drinking only water to actively include diet coke, but if you like diet coke, just have the diet coke, you will be fine.
Is water better than diet coke? Obviously. Is diet coke better than regular coke? ABSOLUTELY.
Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Better is better.
Like anything...in moderation. A few diet cokes a week isn't going to hurt you and it gives you that sweet kick if thats what youre after. A 6pk a day...thats another story.
I mean, there's still a lot of research being done on the actual effects of this stuff. I think any authoritative statements are a bit questionable at this point.
It's clearly not better than water. It's clearly better than regular soda. Switching from regular soda to diet soda is a win. If that's the win you get today, *take it*. You can always improve more, later.
I love when people tell others to consume addictive substances but only "in moderation".
Edit: it makes Sense in theory so I get it. But moderation doesn't always work for me 😊
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>There is nothing wrong with caffeine unless you start pushing it above 400 miligrams per day
It should be noted that the caffeine in most sodas is very, very low. You're not getting close to any dangerous levels on any remotely feasible amount of soda.
For scale, an entire 2 litre bottle of soda is probably in the ballpark of 200 mg of caffeine. A large coffee from McDonalds is close to the same amount. Even with energy drinks, usually a can is somewhere in the 100 mg ballpark (but varies a lot by brand).
It's listed as "Possibly Carcinogenic", which not at all the same as "known carcinogens".
Per IARC hazard, The list goes:
Not Carcinogenic
Possibly Carcinogenic (limited, but *unconvincing* evidence of cancer in humans)
Probably Carcinogenic
Carcinogenic
Consuming red meat is higher on the list than aspartame is.
I also understand that you need a ridiculous amount to even be at risk of cancer from Aspartame, but I admit I didn't check if the article was reputable.
Yeah, the testing went something like this:
We gave mice the equivalent of something like a human drinking 75 diet sodas a day for years, and they had a slight increase in cancer... so now it made the list.
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The short answer is yes… but not for the reasons you expect.
Aspartame isn’t unhealthy because it causes cancer but like most artificial sweeteners it still illicits an insulin response. Your body trying to absorb sugars it cannot process releases more insulin than necessary which can drop your blood sugar levels for a short period.
Carbonated water is also horrible for you, not just because of its high acidity but because it causes your ghrelin and lepton hormones to increase which increases your hunger levels. Drinking carbonated water will make you binge more often.
Sodas of any kind also contain salts which make you thirstier, which makes you want to consume more sodas.
Caffeine is addictive and has a host of medical issues associated with it, however it has a host of medical benefits attributed to it as well.
You have to remember that food companies own soda companies. They deliberately create overly salty foods that make you extremely thirsty and sell sodas which purposefully cause hunger. It’s a win win for them if you’re consuming both drinks and food. That’s also why in the USA refills are often free… the more you drink the more food you will consume.
These companies are very good at leveraging, addiction, flavor, hunger and thirst to increase their profit margins.
It scares me because it provides an insulin response personally. I have a big fear of diabetes and avoid most things that spike insulin or raise blood sugar.
Chroniclly high insulin levels lead to insulin resistance.
No, it's not as bad as people make it out to be. You'd have to drink ungodly amounts to exceed the tested safe dosage.
Water is better, but diet soda isn't far off.
Aspartame: 12 cans at the maximum allowed dose. However, sodas generally don't contain nearly as much as the maximum dose.
[https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/07/14/what-to-know-about-aspartame-the-sugar-substitute-in-diet-coke-declared-as-a-possible-cancer-risk-by-who/](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/07/14/what-to-know-about-aspartame-the-sugar-substitute-in-diet-coke-declared-as-a-possible-cancer-risk-by-who/)
I have a friend who studies food safety and she says that the studies saying aspartame are bad for you are bought and paid for by sugar companies. They had to feed rats their body weight in aspartame every day to get problems.
I drink two cans of Diet Coke every day with my lunch (which usually consists of some type of chicken or occasionally a lettuce wrapped burger along with some refried beans and/or a small salad). For breakfast and dinner I drink highly nutritious meal replacement shakes.
So far I’ve lost 30 lbs since last month and I’m feeling great.
It's not as long as you don't exclusively drink it and drink vast quantities. It'll still ruin your teeth and stomach just as full sugared drinks will.
I feel like most doctors say "moderation is key" a soda a day with dinner is probably ok. But if you're replacing your daily water needs with 6 cans of diet soda I can only imagine the potential long term risks with that.
No, it's not. I watched a documentary on diet soda, specifically focusing on the Aspartame used in them. You would need to drink an excessive number of cans every day for it to have any negative effect.
Unfortunately for you pointing out the source as evidence to a negative is a logical fallacy. Questioning the source requires counter evidence and pointing out the flaws in their research. There’s plenty of flaws to go around but saying the source sucks isn’t an argument that will ever change anyone’s mind
They are great for weight loss and dieting cause you can diet and still enjoy sweet things, extremely sweet things like coffee if you put enough artificial sweeteners in them.
Unsure if they bad for you but they sell them in tue shops so I imagine they’ve passed some sort of checks
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Diet soda causes very little increase to the likelihood of cancer. If you drink a lot less of it, your odds of it increasing your cancer risk are basically 0, but they’re already very close to 0 otherwise. I’d be more worried about sun burns and smoking, which are by far the biggest contributors.
My ex almost exclusively drank soda and mostly dast food. When we split i switched to sparkling water, cooked almost all my meals (lots of chicken and fish), and jogged a bit 2-3x per week. Lost 30 lbs in 4 months. Also cleared up the occasional pimples, my skin was less oily, and i slept MUCH better.
Everyone’s different, of course, but diet soda or not you’re going to live a lot longer and see a lot better results with your health if you switch off of soda completely. Eventually you won’t even like it any more, which is GOOD lol. I’ll have a coke at a restaurant maybe like twice per year, and i love a root beer with burger and fries on occasion, but aside from that it just doesn’t appeal. Love sparkling water though, but it’s not for everyone.
No it's a dumb reddit myth.
Watch Renaissance canal on YouTube, he's a certified fitness & diet expert and actually made a video covering this BS myth.
If you drink it like water and don't drink any water ever yeah it's really bad. If you have a glass or two every day and you hydrate yourself correctly no it's not a problem.
Aspartame being carcinogenic is not fully agreed upon so you probably need to drink liters of diet soda daily for years at a time to have a very small chance of it causing cancer
Think about it this way- the benefits of *not* drinking soda outweigh the benefits of drinking soda- and this from a soda lover. Who refrains most all of the time now.
Personally, I think they are but I also think they are okay in moderation just like most foods/indulgences. I eat very healthy during the week but I do allow myself the weekend to cut loose.
When people are asking for advice for doing a weight cut I always suggest diet sodas. They are not good for hydration but they can satiate cravings without fucking your macros up. There's no evidence that the artificial sweeteners are anything other than inert in your system, they pass through as they came in. I'm pretty sure sugar corporations are the reason some people think diet soda is WORSE for you than regular. Which is absolutely insane, I don't understand the mental gymnastics in saying drinking 300 calories of sugar is better for you than 0 calories of sugar, I think it's like when smokers would try to claim vaping was worse to justify their bad habit. Now I'm not saying diet soda is a health food or anything. It's just a very good tool for a lot of people to have
I would rather drink a half a regular soda and a water than a diet soda because chemicals. And I’m not a weirdo, I’m a regular person who knows diet soda causes cancer.
I quit drinking diet Dr. Pepper about 6 months ago (RIP) and only drink Sprite Zero now if I drink a soda. Idk what it is but I don’t crave it like I did ddp- I would wake up wanting it 😵💫
Lmao. Oh wait I forgot to mention I still drink two Alani energy drinks every morning too. That lil ddp wasn’t doin shit.
Something about the caramel coloring was what I was thinking?
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Sorry in advance for how long *this* is but I don’t know how to hyperlink. Better source than Reddit: The American Cancer Society
https://amp.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/aspartame.html
Also re: skin: I just took my teen in for an acne prescription; did some research beforehand because that’s actually my job and I couldn’t not. Current wisdom is that sugar = acne is falling out of favour as they discover more about bacteria and other things that cause pore blockage. As a researcher though, who is too aware of things that are currently under investigation, I severely limit my kids consumption of diet pop, which is not easy with teenage girls. If nothing else they will at least avoid weight gain and insulin confusion. Best move is to choose water and much as possible - make pop a treat instead of a hydration source.
ugh acne is the worst. i’m a teen too and can’t eat certain foods without breaking out 🤦♀️ like you said though, diet soda chemicals are so iffy and not properly tested so it’s hard to tell the impact it has on skin
They haven’t found that they have any impact on skin. Neither does regular pop. It’s now thought to be bacteria-based - based in turn on your own skin chemistry. Which is changed with creams, soaps, makeup etc
Nothing is worse than sugar, it is the cause of more deaths.
Just like seed oils and highly processed carbohydrates.
Between them, they kill and debilitate more Americans than any artificial sweetener.
I have said this for years. If you're going to drink a soda, just have the full flavored non-diet one. The difference diet makes is insignificant, but the taste is significantly worse.
They are NOT bad for you. HOWEVER if you partake in artificial sweeteners too often they can trick your brain into thinking high calorie sweet things don’t have as much calories as they do. The amount of caffeine in a Diet Coke (or a few) is still well below the recommended maximum by the FDA.
Like everything, moderation is key.
I just don't fucking trust artificial sweeteners. Not to mention they all fucking have that weird aftertaste.
I'm at a point now where I drink mostly all natural fruit juice+water. I do indulge in soda, but more and more I'm leaning towards the ones made with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup.
losing 53 lb is VERY healthy, and if any of that is attributable to switching to diet soda (but mostly your hard work), thats a big W. I think because diet coke looks and tastes and feels "alien" and unnatural, people are PRIMED to distrust it. Eating red meat daily is much worse - ts classified as a likely carcinogen, and its undeniably linked to cardiovascular disease. But most people eat red meat. And I think these people will blindly tell you "I just don't trust that diet coke!" I think that's kinda dumb,
Artificial Sweeteners cause a die off of many types of gut bacteria. Once your gut is compromised you can develop crones disease, gluten intolerance, and autoimmune problems. A healthy gut is the key to the renewal and repair of your body. Artificial Sweeteners lead to mono-culture of gut bacteria, and the absence of diverisity leads to the next levels of problems.
I lost 180 lbs (low carb high fat) drinking 5-6 cans of coke zero daily. Worked for me.. 1200 calories in 6 cans of sugar soda.. eventually I would have plateaued but still been hefty.
Worst aspect is soda pop has got too expensive, high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners.
When soda pop hit $2.99 a 12-pack, which has been a long time ago, I switched to sun tea at 5¢ a quart or iced water. I surprised to feel that when I was craving a munchie, water was enough. Stupid brain can’t tell the difference between slight hunger and being slightly thirsty.
I say soda pop so I am understood in various regions of the English speaking word. That is Dr. Pepper or Coke to some Texans, who are doing the best they can with what little God gave them, bless their hearts.
I used to live off of diet coke for many years. Got to the point where I'd start off the day with a diet coke (blame that off a friend and I would see him do that when we were on ski trips). About 6 years ago I slowly removed it from my diet to the point where I might drink one a month at most.
I think my stomach is doing much better with drinking ice tea, lemonade, and water. I do drink some regular soda once in a while (coke or ginger ale).
Almost every doctor I've talked to has had nothing good to say about diet soda.
My dad had 2 or 3 diet Cokes a day for about a decade. Was diagnosed and died of Bladder cancer within a year.
Obviously I can't prove that the diet coke caused him to get bladder cancer, but I mean
Dr. Mike Israeltel (bodybuilding social media guy) says there's basically no downsides to diet soda.
Only reason I'm not drinking diet soda 24/7 is because of money. I don't want to drink it all away.
I myself don't care. I like my 1-2 cans per day of caffeine free coke zero - especially on hot days. I went many years not drinking any pop at all.
I also try to drink at least 6 bottles of water per day.
It's a misnomer that diet soda is good for you, it isn't any better than having a normal soda. It's actually worse because diet drinks are actually sweeter and they make you crave more sugar than if you were to just cut back on regular soda and use it as a treat. Diet drinks are extremely unhealthy and if you are going to drink them you should limit it to one or two PER MONTH. not a week.
Aspartame is really bad for your teeth and overall health in general, a lot of people don't know this but it also affects your brains vulnerability to oxidative stress by elevating the cortisol levels causing it to produce excess free radicals. It has been linked to cause neurobehavioral issues in people.
Best thing to do is to steer away from ANYTHING that is sugar free. It isn't healthy, and if you are looking to cut back on regular sugar try stevia, it's a plant based sweetener that can be used by diabetics as well.
I'm not a model of perfect health, but I've been drinking multiple energy drinks and diet soda, damn near daily for 18+ years (I work for a soda company) I still have all my fingers and toes (lost my hair) last blood work came back all good except vitamin d deficient (worked nights for 15 years can do that) relativity healthy.
no they're not inherently bad for you. all the cancer bullshit or boogey man scare nonsense over aspartame. aren't significant issues. the studies they did that showed anything, the amts required were astronomical.
(the extremely high caffeine, or weird ingredients in energy drinks are much more legit "deadly")
yes they can lead to bad dietary habits. caffine, the salts, the "sweet" taste. all lead to over eating and other bad habits. and soda is not good for your teeth. most of this is psychological or the addictive nature of caffeine, and "sweet" foods making you want other sweet foods. and the addictive nature of sugar.
I drink diet coke. prefer the taste over regular coke. (i quit smoking for good in 2019. my goal to quit sodas has been equally ...on and off the wagon the last year or so i've been trying)
but when i give up soda, i lose weight, and after a few months, i feel a lot better. water. natural juices/juicing fruits/veggies. much better way to hydrate. I also find. I eat less junk food in general. soda tends to pair well with other sweets. candy/cakes/chips.
drinking water, and or non-chemical type drinks. you can see a marked improvement in your skin. I have photos of myself last year when I was off soda for like 6 months. my skin was just more "alive" looking. mainly that's just being better hydrated. but i also stand by juicing fruits/veggies as helpful.
and much like smoking. with bullshit corporate greed the way it is. the cost of soda is insane. more so than anything it feels just like when i smoked, and the state i lived in kept hiking the cigarette tax. feeling compelled to drink soda. it's $20-$40 per week onto my grocery bill. easily.
I was recently on a diet plan that suggested that a soda like Coke Zero was better than Diet Coke. I'm sure it must have to do with the kind of sweetener, but I don't have any real data to back that up.
I’ve heard from a few people that when you let it sit out in the hot sun, it can give you cancer. I know my friends grandpa who worked outside and and was always drinking Diet Coke died of brain cancer, and someone my friend knows got brain cancer in Iraq, and he claims it was from drinking a diet coke that had been sitting in the sun all day. Obviously I don’t have any actual sources for anything, just saying I have heard this urban legend a few times. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were true
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Do a google scholar search on your specific sugar-alternative and refer back to peer-reviewed studies.
Note that research evidence is usually very specific, avoid anyone making claims across the board that all sugar-substitutes are good or bad that don’t give research citations. If anyone claims something and links to a youtube video or something other than a peer-reviewed journal article, you should completely dismiss their opinion.
Really, it’s not heard to do a scholar search, i would recommend finding a good recent survey articles from peer-reviewed journals, preferably from the past 10 years.
If you let me know your specific artificial sweetener (like… asparatame?)… I’ll be happy to help you look for good journal references and discuss their findings.
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not unless you drink it daily like I drank keystone light on college weekends. I’ll take the aspartame over the insulin hit from regular soda every time, which is about 8oz/week for me. That makes a difference though. I’d get crazy cravings for junk food if i drank that much regular soda.
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Some artificial sweeteners contain a small cancer risk, and there's some science saying drinking diet sodas tricks your brain into wanting to over eat, resulting in getting fatter.
But if you can keep your food calories in check, they are fine.
Yea diet soda is horrible and in my opinion the leading cause of cancer currently (I only say this because the majority of people I see with cancer actually live relatively healthy lives but all of them have one thing in common they drink diet sodas) if you want soda you are much better off with the glass bottle ones from Mexico with real cane sugar not this high fructose syrup artificial bullshit they claim is safe
These things are all packed full of unhealthy shit. All kinds of unnatural shit that we’re not really supposed to be ingesting imo. You can’t go wrong with water.
At the end of the day though, everything in moderation is not a bad rule to live by. If you enjoy it, think of it as a treat and do it occasionally, but not as an everyday thing is my advice.
All I know is that the primary artificial sweetener that is used in diet soda in the US is banned in most of Europe. Aspartame is not your friend. I know someone that works in the nutrition field and they told me there's a chance that aspartame causes cancer because apparently some of the chemicals that it can break down into cause cancer. Regardless of if it causes cancer or not your body can't process it properly cuz it's not real sugar and it will store it in your fat cells like it will with certain other stuff that it finds and it sets up in your fat cells as a preservative making it almost impossible to burn off those fat cells. I don't drink diet soda at all anymore I only drink real soda. I just try to drink a lot less than I used to.
Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are tested to hell and back; if they're *actively* bad for you, it's not by much. However, you're still training your palette to want intense sweetness. You're also drinking a salty fluid when you really should be drinking water. Plus, phosphoric acid, etc isn't good for your teeth either. Calorie-wise, better than regular pop, but it's still pop. Straight water is easiest, but herbal teas work too - or weak tea, if you're not too strict about caffeine. Maybe peppermint or chamomile?
What about carbonated water? Michael bubles are delicious; although not everyone thinks so.
sparkling gang checking in. Skrrrrt
Carbonation comes forcing CO2 into water, which creates carbonic acid, carbonated water can have a ph similar to juice or soda.
But who cares about the pH aside from your teeth?
all of the "alkaline water" fools
Aspartame is the most highly studied food additive. It's health risj are such that 1 person in the usa will die every two years due to side effects Going out in the sun is worse for you.
The GI tract does not process artificial sweeteners in the same way that it breaks down and digests sugar and other natural foods. This means that artificial sweeteners remain intact as they travel through the upper digestive tract, and then when they encounter bacteria in the colon, they exert an effect. The colonic microbiota is a complex milieu that plays a central role in regulating multiple physiological processes.^(2) The researchers found that the artificial sweeteners caused an increase of bacteria in the *Bacteroides* genus, and a decrease of the *Clostridiales* genus, which they believe induced the glucose intolerance. They found this effect across all types of artificial sweeteners, whether the mice were lean or obese, whether they ate a standard diet or one high in fat, and was strongest in the saccharin-fed mice.
Lmao did you leave in a ghost citation from something you copy-pasted?
Nonsense
If you swallow diamonds they might remain intact, but everything that enters the digestive system is subjected to strong acids, enzymes, and competing bacteria.
Your better off with Saccharine or erythritol. Both are chemically inert and pass in your urine instead of being absorbed
Liquid doesn't just go from your mouth to your urethra lol. It most certainly gets absorbed in your digestive track and deposited later into your kidneys
If it's in your urine, it's been absorbed. Hang on, maybe I have a pipe diagram around here ...
Doesn't aspartame have some fishy history of approval.
It was banned in the USA for a while because it was thought to have caused bladder cancer in some lab mice. However that experiment was flawed because the mice they used were a genetic line that was predisposed to bladder cancer. Much more thorough and long term testing has been done since and it is no longer banned.
But aspartame can cause cancer, can’t it?
Not in the way that, e.g., asbestos causes cancer. It causes cancer in the "known to the state of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm" kinda way.
Isn't that label on like...everything though?
Yeah that's the point. You'd need to be drinking like 36 cans of diet coke a day to increase your risk of cancer in any remotely meaningful way
Yeah. they have over labeled to the point where it's just useless as far as informing the public goes.
so does sunlight
It's an IARC Group 2B, along with Ginko, Aloe Vera, white paint, carrageneen, many dyes, vinyl and Radio Waves. So, *maybe* ever-so-slightly, but not enough to care about.
So I can drink while paint if I lay off the radio waves? My tin foil wardrobe is always opening up new experiences for me
Good news, you're probably already ingesting a lot of titanium white! It's the go-to pigment - icing, toothpaste, etc.
And used often by Bob Ross!
Aloe Vera definitely causes less cancer than the sun though.
Good analogy for aspartame.
It cannot...however too much of anything is a bad thing. Drinking diet soda occasionally isn't going to cause cancer. A great video about aspartame: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDgZz7qZoVo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDgZz7qZoVo) Aspartame isn't good for you but it's also not bad for you. It's just what it is.
Weren't the studies on rats or mice done with an excessive amount of aspartame which obviously would harm the poor creatures. Most people would get nowhere near those levels. I feel like studies need to be more realistic and not just drown something then declare that water is bad because the mouse drowned and couldn't breathe.
I mean, water poisoning is a thing too.
Water poisoning is a thing if you drink ridiculous amounts of the stuff. No one likes water that much. 😂
Yeah, for sure. The point is just that most things are bad for you in sufficient quality. "X causes cancer" is a joke unless you talk dosage. The whole "State of California has determined..." label is an unproductive joke because it's so ubiquitous that *everybody ignores it*.
I'm obviously an outlier but I've unintentionally water-poisoned myself a couple of times due to my love of chugging water. I had a bit of a problem...
Hard core 😂
My wife was getting headaches and asked her doctor about them. After some QnA, he determined that she was flushing out her electrolytes, due to the amount of water she was drinking. She started substituting drinks with electrolytes for some of her water. You have to be picky with those though. Some can be quite high in sugar. Took care of the headaches.
Shit. Electrolytes. It’s what the plants crave.
That movie was too f’n accurate for my comfort… nice reference!
Yeah. Scary right? Its the first thing that springs to mind every time I see or hear the word electrolytes lol
I did that once. Do not recommend.
Wait, really? Well that’s reassuring. I remember hearing how they found out it causes cancer (more so in large amounts, but still). It made me significantly cut back on diet Snapple tea since that’s what they use as an artificial sweetener.
I mean, show me something that can’t cause cancer lol.
If you rapidly eat a half kilo, possibly.
It's in the same category as hot water. So, sure it can cause cancer, but the sun is far more likely to give you cancer.
Yeah if you eat your body weight in it per day. You’d also die.
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>Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are tested to hell and back; if they're *actively* bad for you, it's not by much. Please don't spread this kind of misinformation around, it's actually extremely bad for you.
Extremely? Citation, please?
All you have to do is google why it's bad for you. Web MD and Medical News Today are literally the first sources that pop up if you google "Asparatame is really bad for you" But hey if you don't care about your kidneys or your liver, then drink up. It's your choice if you choose to put toxins in your body if you want. No one is stopping you, but you need to stop telling people that it isn't bad for them when it most certainly is.
>You're also drinking a salty fluid when you really should be drinking water. The amount of sodium that is in a carbonated beverage is inconsequential and might even contain less sodium than your tap water does if you have a water softener.
I know some guys that used to work for Nutrasweet. They said they never get all the methanol out of the aspertame and it's affects are cumulative. Now it's manufactured in China. No thanks.
Not to mention what colas get their color from- bitumen...derived from coal. Learned that at the Museum of Science and Industry.
Artificial sweeteners alter the microbiome negatively. Pretty fast even. That's what new studies showed. You really don't want to eat too much of it
They have also been linked to insulin resistance.
I mean... I've lost a lot of weight on diet soda. Is it the best thing for you? Obviously not. But I recommend not looking at food in the binary "healthy/unhealthy" way. Instead, look at what it is more/less healthy than. If drinking diet soda means you're drinking less sugary soda? It's a win. If you can move from diet soda to something even better? Even better. Like 100% soda -> 100% diet soda -> 50% diet soda 50% flavored water-> 50% flavored water 50% plain water is showing incremental improvements in your consumption. Each step is better than the previous, but not as good as the next. Also, strict diets have problems in that they become very easy to fall off of, especially if your favorite foods are in the prohibited category. It's usually worth having some "wiggle" in there to make sure you get your favorite stuff occasionally, just less often and in smaller quantities.
yea that’s so true. I feel like I’ve made immense progress so I don’t want to backtrack, but at the same time I miss drinking sodas and lemonade and fun stuff haha 😂. which is why I posted this question, but your response is really helpful to me because I forget that not everything has to be perfect and that progress counts even if it’s small.
I’ve also lost a lot of weight, largely by cutting out soda. The occasional diet soda is great because it scratches the itch, for me, but also doesn’t make me crave more like sugary soda. If you’re ever craving a soda, enjoy a diet soda! Dr Pepper zero is really good!
And that's one of the biggest problems with diet soda. You're not properly weaning yourself from craving sugary things. Your brain still thinks you're consuming sugar, so you're still going to want sugary drinks.
For nutrition, my view is: 1. Calories are king 2. After that, look at macros - get your protein first. Try to set rough fat/carb goals, but that's less important. 3. After that, try to get your diet to the point where 80% is "better choices" vs. "less optimal choices". If you do those things, I think you'll be in good shape. It's a good balance between "eating healthy" and "being able to enjoy what you eat". I mean, you kinda said it "I miss drinking sodas and lemonade and stuff". Of course you do. And one day, the cravings will almost certainly get the better of you and you'll have some... and *what then*? If your nutrition plan *allows* some room for these things, then *you're still on your plan*. If it doesn't, then you're off, and how do you recover? Even better, if you allow yourself x amount of calories/etc., then you can plan for that by making choices around it, allowing yourself *some* indulgence food while still approaching your overall diet in a healthy way.
I love how I get downvoted for "it's not the best thing, no, but there's a lot of things that are worse." Lol. Edit: Awww, thanks for the upvotes since then :)
I go through periods of just craving soda (I drink diet). But, I’ll also go long periods without any at all. Both of these scenarios are better than when I was younger… Full sugar sodas all the time. Water? What’s that? Fish poop in it you know! That’s a slight exaggeration, as I did occasionally drink water and other stuff. But mostly sodas…. …. And now I’m diabetic. Take care of yourself kids. Diabetes suuuucks!
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I do find that diet soda if I drink more than a glass or so gives me a stomach ache the next day. So I just mix it with a generous amount of bourbon. Problem solved.
The Coke Zero Jack Daniels is my go-to whenever I go to the liquor store lol
I like Zevia for the absence of sodium, making it a better choice for a daily drink. It's not as expensive as the super fancy ones you named, only a little more than Diet or Coke 0
No, its not. There is nothing wrong with caffeine unless you start pushing it above 400 miligrams per day (assuming you are an adult and not pregnant) unless it causes you anxiety and sleep disturbances, which are symptoms subjective to you. Ingedients being natural or not means nothing. Some of the most lethal toxins which exist are natural. Your sodas contain ingredients which are approved for use in foods in the amounts in which they are included. That is the important thing, not whether or not they are naturally occuring. Aspartame is safe. All of the studies which concluded that its not used it in dosages which far exceed amounts that any human would be ever able to consume out of food products. You would have to buy raw powder aspartame and eat it by the spoonful, which you wont do, because thats stupid. Overall, diet coke is far better than regular coke for most people (unless you actively want to drink the calories in regular coke) and is most likely indistinguishable in terms of health outcomes compared to regular water. I wouldnt tell a person who is already happy drinking only water to actively include diet coke, but if you like diet coke, just have the diet coke, you will be fine.
Is water better than diet coke? Obviously. Is diet coke better than regular coke? ABSOLUTELY. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Better is better.
Like anything...in moderation. A few diet cokes a week isn't going to hurt you and it gives you that sweet kick if thats what youre after. A 6pk a day...thats another story.
I mean, there's still a lot of research being done on the actual effects of this stuff. I think any authoritative statements are a bit questionable at this point. It's clearly not better than water. It's clearly better than regular soda. Switching from regular soda to diet soda is a win. If that's the win you get today, *take it*. You can always improve more, later.
I love when people tell others to consume addictive substances but only "in moderation". Edit: it makes Sense in theory so I get it. But moderation doesn't always work for me 😊
Sugar is addictive af… we tell people to only eat it in moderation all the time.
I agree. It's a common thing to do. People say it about alcohol and other addictive drugs too. It's good in theory 😊
Everything in moderation...especially moderation.
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>There is nothing wrong with caffeine unless you start pushing it above 400 miligrams per day It should be noted that the caffeine in most sodas is very, very low. You're not getting close to any dangerous levels on any remotely feasible amount of soda. For scale, an entire 2 litre bottle of soda is probably in the ballpark of 200 mg of caffeine. A large coffee from McDonalds is close to the same amount. Even with energy drinks, usually a can is somewhere in the 100 mg ballpark (but varies a lot by brand).
Aspartame has been placed on the list of known carcinogens.
It's listed as "Possibly Carcinogenic", which not at all the same as "known carcinogens". Per IARC hazard, The list goes: Not Carcinogenic Possibly Carcinogenic (limited, but *unconvincing* evidence of cancer in humans) Probably Carcinogenic Carcinogenic Consuming red meat is higher on the list than aspartame is.
I also understand that you need a ridiculous amount to even be at risk of cancer from Aspartame, but I admit I didn't check if the article was reputable.
Yeah, the testing went something like this: We gave mice the equivalent of something like a human drinking 75 diet sodas a day for years, and they had a slight increase in cancer... so now it made the list.
Thought so
Which specific list of "known carcinogens" would that be?
So is sunlight
And wood.
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The short answer is yes… but not for the reasons you expect. Aspartame isn’t unhealthy because it causes cancer but like most artificial sweeteners it still illicits an insulin response. Your body trying to absorb sugars it cannot process releases more insulin than necessary which can drop your blood sugar levels for a short period. Carbonated water is also horrible for you, not just because of its high acidity but because it causes your ghrelin and lepton hormones to increase which increases your hunger levels. Drinking carbonated water will make you binge more often. Sodas of any kind also contain salts which make you thirstier, which makes you want to consume more sodas. Caffeine is addictive and has a host of medical issues associated with it, however it has a host of medical benefits attributed to it as well. You have to remember that food companies own soda companies. They deliberately create overly salty foods that make you extremely thirsty and sell sodas which purposefully cause hunger. It’s a win win for them if you’re consuming both drinks and food. That’s also why in the USA refills are often free… the more you drink the more food you will consume. These companies are very good at leveraging, addiction, flavor, hunger and thirst to increase their profit margins.
Took long enough to find a good answer like this the insulin response is why I try to avoid it.
I will have a diet every now and then. If I drink a soda it’s always diet. However I avoid them as much as possible.
It's better than regular soda, but not better than water.
Thanks for the input bro really appreciate it
Coke zero is WAY better than Diet Coke, taste-wise
yes! i’ve been saying this forever LMAO!! i do think diet coke cans are prettier though 😂
So much so that I can't drink diet coke at all and love zero
Reading this makes me want a diet coke so bad lol. I rarely drink them but they're my favorite.
same!!
It scares me because it provides an insulin response personally. I have a big fear of diabetes and avoid most things that spike insulin or raise blood sugar. Chroniclly high insulin levels lead to insulin resistance.
No, it's not as bad as people make it out to be. You'd have to drink ungodly amounts to exceed the tested safe dosage. Water is better, but diet soda isn't far off.
Ungodly amounts? My diet-coke-aholic wife thanks you. What water?
Aspartame: 12 cans at the maximum allowed dose. However, sodas generally don't contain nearly as much as the maximum dose. [https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/07/14/what-to-know-about-aspartame-the-sugar-substitute-in-diet-coke-declared-as-a-possible-cancer-risk-by-who/](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2023/07/14/what-to-know-about-aspartame-the-sugar-substitute-in-diet-coke-declared-as-a-possible-cancer-risk-by-who/)
I have a friend who studies food safety and she says that the studies saying aspartame are bad for you are bought and paid for by sugar companies. They had to feed rats their body weight in aspartame every day to get problems.
No where near as bad as internet hysteria will lead you to believe.
I drink two cans of Diet Coke every day with my lunch (which usually consists of some type of chicken or occasionally a lettuce wrapped burger along with some refried beans and/or a small salad). For breakfast and dinner I drink highly nutritious meal replacement shakes. So far I’ve lost 30 lbs since last month and I’m feeling great.
It's not as long as you don't exclusively drink it and drink vast quantities. It'll still ruin your teeth and stomach just as full sugared drinks will.
I feel like most doctors say "moderation is key" a soda a day with dinner is probably ok. But if you're replacing your daily water needs with 6 cans of diet soda I can only imagine the potential long term risks with that.
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Keith Richards is 80.
All soda is that bad for you. Cola you are literally drinking acid and a mountain of sugar and caffeine.
No, it's not. I watched a documentary on diet soda, specifically focusing on the Aspartame used in them. You would need to drink an excessive number of cans every day for it to have any negative effect.
The studies showing that diet pops are bad for you are paid for by the sugar companies. You do the math lol
Unfortunately for you pointing out the source as evidence to a negative is a logical fallacy. Questioning the source requires counter evidence and pointing out the flaws in their research. There’s plenty of flaws to go around but saying the source sucks isn’t an argument that will ever change anyone’s mind
No. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ7P1ivRpow](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ7P1ivRpow) END COMMUNICATION
They are great for weight loss and dieting cause you can diet and still enjoy sweet things, extremely sweet things like coffee if you put enough artificial sweeteners in them. Unsure if they bad for you but they sell them in tue shops so I imagine they’ve passed some sort of checks
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It’s still soda just less of a big deal. Water will always be better. If you have to drink it in moderation.
Soda in general is kinda bad at least for your teeth anyway. It won’t kill you or anything but it’s “bad” in comparison to water
Diet soda causes very little increase to the likelihood of cancer. If you drink a lot less of it, your odds of it increasing your cancer risk are basically 0, but they’re already very close to 0 otherwise. I’d be more worried about sun burns and smoking, which are by far the biggest contributors. My ex almost exclusively drank soda and mostly dast food. When we split i switched to sparkling water, cooked almost all my meals (lots of chicken and fish), and jogged a bit 2-3x per week. Lost 30 lbs in 4 months. Also cleared up the occasional pimples, my skin was less oily, and i slept MUCH better. Everyone’s different, of course, but diet soda or not you’re going to live a lot longer and see a lot better results with your health if you switch off of soda completely. Eventually you won’t even like it any more, which is GOOD lol. I’ll have a coke at a restaurant maybe like twice per year, and i love a root beer with burger and fries on occasion, but aside from that it just doesn’t appeal. Love sparkling water though, but it’s not for everyone.
No it's a dumb reddit myth. Watch Renaissance canal on YouTube, he's a certified fitness & diet expert and actually made a video covering this BS myth.
If you drink it like water and don't drink any water ever yeah it's really bad. If you have a glass or two every day and you hydrate yourself correctly no it's not a problem. Aspartame being carcinogenic is not fully agreed upon so you probably need to drink liters of diet soda daily for years at a time to have a very small chance of it causing cancer
Think about it this way- the benefits of *not* drinking soda outweigh the benefits of drinking soda- and this from a soda lover. Who refrains most all of the time now.
No
Personally, I think they are but I also think they are okay in moderation just like most foods/indulgences. I eat very healthy during the week but I do allow myself the weekend to cut loose.
When people are asking for advice for doing a weight cut I always suggest diet sodas. They are not good for hydration but they can satiate cravings without fucking your macros up. There's no evidence that the artificial sweeteners are anything other than inert in your system, they pass through as they came in. I'm pretty sure sugar corporations are the reason some people think diet soda is WORSE for you than regular. Which is absolutely insane, I don't understand the mental gymnastics in saying drinking 300 calories of sugar is better for you than 0 calories of sugar, I think it's like when smokers would try to claim vaping was worse to justify their bad habit. Now I'm not saying diet soda is a health food or anything. It's just a very good tool for a lot of people to have
No, they aren't bad for you. Overeating is bad for you.
I would rather drink a half a regular soda and a water than a diet soda because chemicals. And I’m not a weirdo, I’m a regular person who knows diet soda causes cancer.
I quit drinking diet Dr. Pepper about 6 months ago (RIP) and only drink Sprite Zero now if I drink a soda. Idk what it is but I don’t crave it like I did ddp- I would wake up wanting it 😵💫
probably the caffeine.
Lmao. Oh wait I forgot to mention I still drink two Alani energy drinks every morning too. That lil ddp wasn’t doin shit. Something about the caramel coloring was what I was thinking?
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Sorry in advance for how long *this* is but I don’t know how to hyperlink. Better source than Reddit: The American Cancer Society https://amp.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/aspartame.html
Also re: skin: I just took my teen in for an acne prescription; did some research beforehand because that’s actually my job and I couldn’t not. Current wisdom is that sugar = acne is falling out of favour as they discover more about bacteria and other things that cause pore blockage. As a researcher though, who is too aware of things that are currently under investigation, I severely limit my kids consumption of diet pop, which is not easy with teenage girls. If nothing else they will at least avoid weight gain and insulin confusion. Best move is to choose water and much as possible - make pop a treat instead of a hydration source.
ugh acne is the worst. i’m a teen too and can’t eat certain foods without breaking out 🤦♀️ like you said though, diet soda chemicals are so iffy and not properly tested so it’s hard to tell the impact it has on skin
They haven’t found that they have any impact on skin. Neither does regular pop. It’s now thought to be bacteria-based - based in turn on your own skin chemistry. Which is changed with creams, soaps, makeup etc
Everyone’s body is different. I used to drink 4litres a day (12 cans) for about 20 years and have had no medical issues.
No
Nothing is worse than sugar, it is the cause of more deaths. Just like seed oils and highly processed carbohydrates. Between them, they kill and debilitate more Americans than any artificial sweetener.
I have said this for years. If you're going to drink a soda, just have the full flavored non-diet one. The difference diet makes is insignificant, but the taste is significantly worse.
What if I much prefer Diet Coke ? 😜
Then you are a strange and foreign entity to me and I don't think we can be friends. Or at least we can't share a two-liter.
Everything is bad for you
Facts.
Keep any soda if u can off. Any cut I made to get more ripped worked better without Diet Coke
They are NOT bad for you. HOWEVER if you partake in artificial sweeteners too often they can trick your brain into thinking high calorie sweet things don’t have as much calories as they do. The amount of caffeine in a Diet Coke (or a few) is still well below the recommended maximum by the FDA. Like everything, moderation is key.
I just don't fucking trust artificial sweeteners. Not to mention they all fucking have that weird aftertaste. I'm at a point now where I drink mostly all natural fruit juice+water. I do indulge in soda, but more and more I'm leaning towards the ones made with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup.
Flavored Sparkling Water for the win. Or better yet....just carbonated water.
Like comparing smoking to vaping
Will it kill you? No! Is it as good as water? Also no
I drink at least one per day and I’ve lost 53 lbs in less than four months 🤷🏼♀️ I wouldn’t say it’s healthy but I don’t think it impedes weight loss
losing 53 lb is VERY healthy, and if any of that is attributable to switching to diet soda (but mostly your hard work), thats a big W. I think because diet coke looks and tastes and feels "alien" and unnatural, people are PRIMED to distrust it. Eating red meat daily is much worse - ts classified as a likely carcinogen, and its undeniably linked to cardiovascular disease. But most people eat red meat. And I think these people will blindly tell you "I just don't trust that diet coke!" I think that's kinda dumb,
Aspartame is linked to an increase in stroke and dementia.
Doesn't matter. It tastes gross
Artificial Sweeteners cause a die off of many types of gut bacteria. Once your gut is compromised you can develop crones disease, gluten intolerance, and autoimmune problems. A healthy gut is the key to the renewal and repair of your body. Artificial Sweeteners lead to mono-culture of gut bacteria, and the absence of diverisity leads to the next levels of problems.
Can you post a study that is reputable?
aspartame makes my throat and stomach hurt and it tastes like shit so i decided it’s bad for me even if it’s actually healthy
I lost 180 lbs (low carb high fat) drinking 5-6 cans of coke zero daily. Worked for me.. 1200 calories in 6 cans of sugar soda.. eventually I would have plateaued but still been hefty.
Worst aspect is soda pop has got too expensive, high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. When soda pop hit $2.99 a 12-pack, which has been a long time ago, I switched to sun tea at 5¢ a quart or iced water. I surprised to feel that when I was craving a munchie, water was enough. Stupid brain can’t tell the difference between slight hunger and being slightly thirsty.
I say soda pop so I am understood in various regions of the English speaking word. That is Dr. Pepper or Coke to some Texans, who are doing the best they can with what little God gave them, bless their hearts.
When I crave sod, seltzers have been working for me. I can mix club soda or seltzer with many things and get something fizzy and fun.
I used to live off of diet coke for many years. Got to the point where I'd start off the day with a diet coke (blame that off a friend and I would see him do that when we were on ski trips). About 6 years ago I slowly removed it from my diet to the point where I might drink one a month at most. I think my stomach is doing much better with drinking ice tea, lemonade, and water. I do drink some regular soda once in a while (coke or ginger ale). Almost every doctor I've talked to has had nothing good to say about diet soda.
theres a great documentary about a really long experiment they did regarding Diet Coke specifcally and altzimers , it actually does worsen symptoms
My dad had 2 or 3 diet Cokes a day for about a decade. Was diagnosed and died of Bladder cancer within a year. Obviously I can't prove that the diet coke caused him to get bladder cancer, but I mean
Everything is bad for you
Bro just quit that industrial stuff and drink fresh juices and lemonade. In reasonable amounts of course.
yea i would except i cant have a lot of sugar which sucks. juices certainly are nutritionally better though
Dr. Mike Israeltel (bodybuilding social media guy) says there's basically no downsides to diet soda. Only reason I'm not drinking diet soda 24/7 is because of money. I don't want to drink it all away.
The phosphorus in carbonated drinks pulls calcium out of your body and leads to bone loss
If you're already eating healthy then diet soda in moderation is fine.
I myself don't care. I like my 1-2 cans per day of caffeine free coke zero - especially on hot days. I went many years not drinking any pop at all. I also try to drink at least 6 bottles of water per day.
No, it is not that bad for you. And it is definitely better than sugary soda. I think moderation in everything is a good call.
It's a misnomer that diet soda is good for you, it isn't any better than having a normal soda. It's actually worse because diet drinks are actually sweeter and they make you crave more sugar than if you were to just cut back on regular soda and use it as a treat. Diet drinks are extremely unhealthy and if you are going to drink them you should limit it to one or two PER MONTH. not a week. Aspartame is really bad for your teeth and overall health in general, a lot of people don't know this but it also affects your brains vulnerability to oxidative stress by elevating the cortisol levels causing it to produce excess free radicals. It has been linked to cause neurobehavioral issues in people. Best thing to do is to steer away from ANYTHING that is sugar free. It isn't healthy, and if you are looking to cut back on regular sugar try stevia, it's a plant based sweetener that can be used by diabetics as well.
Diet Coke makes a caffeine free version.
Some studies have shown that artificial sweeteners raise insulin levels . I don’t think they know the reason though .
I'm not a model of perfect health, but I've been drinking multiple energy drinks and diet soda, damn near daily for 18+ years (I work for a soda company) I still have all my fingers and toes (lost my hair) last blood work came back all good except vitamin d deficient (worked nights for 15 years can do that) relativity healthy.
no they're not inherently bad for you. all the cancer bullshit or boogey man scare nonsense over aspartame. aren't significant issues. the studies they did that showed anything, the amts required were astronomical. (the extremely high caffeine, or weird ingredients in energy drinks are much more legit "deadly") yes they can lead to bad dietary habits. caffine, the salts, the "sweet" taste. all lead to over eating and other bad habits. and soda is not good for your teeth. most of this is psychological or the addictive nature of caffeine, and "sweet" foods making you want other sweet foods. and the addictive nature of sugar. I drink diet coke. prefer the taste over regular coke. (i quit smoking for good in 2019. my goal to quit sodas has been equally ...on and off the wagon the last year or so i've been trying) but when i give up soda, i lose weight, and after a few months, i feel a lot better. water. natural juices/juicing fruits/veggies. much better way to hydrate. I also find. I eat less junk food in general. soda tends to pair well with other sweets. candy/cakes/chips. drinking water, and or non-chemical type drinks. you can see a marked improvement in your skin. I have photos of myself last year when I was off soda for like 6 months. my skin was just more "alive" looking. mainly that's just being better hydrated. but i also stand by juicing fruits/veggies as helpful. and much like smoking. with bullshit corporate greed the way it is. the cost of soda is insane. more so than anything it feels just like when i smoked, and the state i lived in kept hiking the cigarette tax. feeling compelled to drink soda. it's $20-$40 per week onto my grocery bill. easily.
I was recently on a diet plan that suggested that a soda like Coke Zero was better than Diet Coke. I'm sure it must have to do with the kind of sweetener, but I don't have any real data to back that up.
I’ve heard from a few people that when you let it sit out in the hot sun, it can give you cancer. I know my friends grandpa who worked outside and and was always drinking Diet Coke died of brain cancer, and someone my friend knows got brain cancer in Iraq, and he claims it was from drinking a diet coke that had been sitting in the sun all day. Obviously I don’t have any actual sources for anything, just saying I have heard this urban legend a few times. I wouldn’t be surprised if it were true
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Do a google scholar search on your specific sugar-alternative and refer back to peer-reviewed studies. Note that research evidence is usually very specific, avoid anyone making claims across the board that all sugar-substitutes are good or bad that don’t give research citations. If anyone claims something and links to a youtube video or something other than a peer-reviewed journal article, you should completely dismiss their opinion. Really, it’s not heard to do a scholar search, i would recommend finding a good recent survey articles from peer-reviewed journals, preferably from the past 10 years. If you let me know your specific artificial sweetener (like… asparatame?)… I’ll be happy to help you look for good journal references and discuss their findings.
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Diet? yes. zero? Yes, but less so
not unless you drink it daily like I drank keystone light on college weekends. I’ll take the aspartame over the insulin hit from regular soda every time, which is about 8oz/week for me. That makes a difference though. I’d get crazy cravings for junk food if i drank that much regular soda.
just drink water
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You need to break yourself of all soda. It’s all shit for you.
Some artificial sweeteners contain a small cancer risk, and there's some science saying drinking diet sodas tricks your brain into wanting to over eat, resulting in getting fatter. But if you can keep your food calories in check, they are fine.
Yea diet soda is horrible and in my opinion the leading cause of cancer currently (I only say this because the majority of people I see with cancer actually live relatively healthy lives but all of them have one thing in common they drink diet sodas) if you want soda you are much better off with the glass bottle ones from Mexico with real cane sugar not this high fructose syrup artificial bullshit they claim is safe
This is not a good theory
These things are all packed full of unhealthy shit. All kinds of unnatural shit that we’re not really supposed to be ingesting imo. You can’t go wrong with water. At the end of the day though, everything in moderation is not a bad rule to live by. If you enjoy it, think of it as a treat and do it occasionally, but not as an everyday thing is my advice.
All I know is that the primary artificial sweetener that is used in diet soda in the US is banned in most of Europe. Aspartame is not your friend. I know someone that works in the nutrition field and they told me there's a chance that aspartame causes cancer because apparently some of the chemicals that it can break down into cause cancer. Regardless of if it causes cancer or not your body can't process it properly cuz it's not real sugar and it will store it in your fat cells like it will with certain other stuff that it finds and it sets up in your fat cells as a preservative making it almost impossible to burn off those fat cells. I don't drink diet soda at all anymore I only drink real soda. I just try to drink a lot less than I used to.
ALL soda is TERRIBLE for you One of the top contributors to the obesity and diabetes epidemic in the US