Drinking sugar-flavored sodas can crush any diet. A
single can of Coke has 140 calories! In response, many of us have switched to
diet sodas. Just one calorie! Zero calories! Soon some clever vendor will claim
negative calories in their soda. So why shouldn't we all guzzle all the diet
soda we can find? It turns out that there are some serious side effects to
consider.
There are several well-received scientific studies that
have connected consumption of diet soda with weight gain. Theories to explain
why diet soda drinkers tend to gain more weight than sugar-sweetened soda
drinkers vary. Some doctors believe that our bodies become confused when we
drink sweet liquids yet don’t produce any glucose through digestion. Other
doctors point to a hormone called GLP-1 that plays a role in our hunger/satiety
response. Regardless, drinking artificially sweetened soda is not problem free.
A second area of research has correlated diet soda with
developing metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a catch-all diagnosis for
a cluster of health issues related to heart disease. One study found a 34%
higher incidence of metabolic syndrome among diet soda drinkers. Ouch.
Artificial sweeteners are artificial. Right. So these
chemistry lab products seem to have a negative impact on our cells. This cell
damage has been linked with respiratory and immunological disorders.
Want to have a child? You might want to skip the soda
isle altogether. This isn’t limited to diet sodas, but to all sodas packaged in
cans. To keep that soda taste fresh, manufacturers coat the inside of the can
with a plastic called bisphenol A. this is not a benign plastic. It has been
tied to weight gain, heart disease and a broad range of reproductive system
disorders. Maybe a nice glass of water to help make baby?
In addition to the reproductive organ damage, diet soda
is also linked with kidney disease. One Harvard study found a doubling of
kidney function declines among diet soda drinkers.
Love your sparkling smile? Consider what diet soda is
doing to your pearly whites. The acid in diet soda is very hard on the enamel
of your teeth. Most of us have dropped a penny in a glass of soda overnight and
removed a sparkling clean penny the next day. Soda removes tooth enamel with
similar ease.
Diet sodas are an ironic mixer with alcoholic beverages.
Nonetheless, many of us order a Jack and Diet Coke, thinking that avoiding
some calories is a good thing. Unfortunately, using sugar-free mixers can
actually make you get drunk faster and leave you with a bigger hangover the
next day. I’ll have the Merlot straight up, please.
Diet soda is not the root of all evil. Consumed in
moderation, it can be a nice treat that doesn’t blow up your diet. Just
consider some of these side effects next time you are shopping the soft drink
isle.
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