Is diet soda bad for you? : Dr. Jacqueline Gerhart:

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Is diet soda bad for you? : Dr. Jacqueline Gerhart

“Is diet soda really bad for you? Friends tell me this
all the time but since I drink soda that has no calories and no
caffeine I can’t see what’s wrong with it.”

Our society seems to run on sugar. Much of this comes from soft
drinks (termed “soda” or “pop” depending on what region of the
country — or the state — you live in). Our country produces 10.4
billion gallons of soft drinks each year. That’s enough to serve
every American a 12-ounce can every day, 365 days a year.

In trying to get my patients to improve their health, I always
recommend that they decrease the amount of sugar they eat, and cut
down on the soft drinks. The initial switch to diet soda from
regular soda (assuming you don’t change your calorie intake or
exercise level), should decrease your weight. But do diet beverages
keep the weight off? Are they healthy for you?

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine
addresses whether we should think more about food type rather than
just reducing calories. The study looked at more than 100,000
healthy, non-obese individuals, and monitored the types of food
they ate, regardless of the calories they took in. The study showed
that weight gain was most associated with potato chips, potatoes,
sugar-sweetened beverages, unprocessed red meats, and processed
meats, whereas vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and yogurt
consistently decreased weight. It also studied diet soda. They
found no difference in weight between those who drank diet soda and
those who did not. In other words, it wasn’t shown that people
either lose or gain weight on diet soda long-term.

There is some evidence against diet soda. A study from Purdue
University showed that rats eating food sweetened with saccharin
took in more calories and gained more weight than rats fed sugar.
Another study in San Antonio showed that those who averaged three
or more artificially sweetened beverages a day were more likely to
have gained weight over an eight-year period than those who didn’t
drink artificially sweetened beverages. A study from the University
of California-San Diego compared MRI brain images of humans that
took small sips of sugar water with those who sipped sucralose
water. Sugar activated the “food reward centers” of the brain while
sucralose did not. This could mean that you may not feel as
satisfied when you consume artificially sweetened foods and
beverages. In addition, there is some evidence that certain
sweeteners can lead to kidney abnormalities or changes in your
electrolytes.

On the positive side of things, diet beverages are less caloric,
and give you less sugar. While sugar-sweetened beverages increase
one’s risk for diabetes, diet beverages have not been linked nearly
as consistently. Some studies hint that the sweetener stevia may
have added benefit for patients with hypertension or diabetes.
Also, the FDA has approved aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet), saccharin
(Sweet’N Low), and sucralose (Splenda), and stevia was deemed
“generally recognized as safe” in 2009.

So, if your diet soda is replacing your regular sugar-filled
soda habit, then you are likely decreasing your chances of
diabetes. But, if it is your daily drink of choice, I would suggest
putting down the can, bottle, or 48-oz mega cup, and picking up a
glass of good old-fashioned water.

Here’s to your health!

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