Weight Loss News and Current Events - The Truth About Diet Soda

http://health.msn.com/nutrition/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100236887&GT1=31036
This article was on MSN today. Very interesting Indeed.

I quit drinking diet soda a while back, sounds like that was a really good move. :)

There was nothing here that I hadn't already read in a variety of "alternative health"-related sources, but I *am* surprised to see it finally being questioned in the mainstream media. I personally believe a lot of the illnesses and behavioral problems we see today are the result of chemical additives in our food supply.

I've been trying to follow this research for some time now, and last I recall, the work that suggest that diet sodas may make us eat more is from animal research (mice, I think). Does anyone know if they've actually done research like this on people. I'm looking for experimental research where they manipulate the sweeteners people receive and record food intake, not correlational studies.

And of course mice and rats don't have the ability to keep a food journal to monitor their caloric intake.

Mice and rats aren't necessarily appropriate models for studies on human health...but I agree that diet sodas in excess can't be good for you! The main thing for me is that diet soda triggers a snacking desire (like the peanuts and beer theory at most bars...), so I stay away from it for the most part. But I DO love my cold and fizzy drinks from time to time, especially in the summer...
Kira

The way I look at diet soda, from what I've read, is that when it enters your body, it basically turns into a formaldehyde. So basically, the diet soda is preserving your fat! Gross!

diet soda perserves fat in my body?!!! NOOOOO... this is truly a nightmare. I love me some diet coke

Diet soda and other diet drinks always made me feel soooo sick after drinking them. Like, major stomach pains and headaches and just overall feeling of yuckiness. I wonder if I was just really sensitive to the stuff in there.

Soda has all kind of yicky things in there from chemical additives to high fructose corn syrup. There are actually correlations between the addition of high fructose corn syrup into our food and the rising numbers of obesity; and believe me, they've put it in practically everything! Thank goodness for organic food. High fructose corn syrup will make you crave other things that contain it, leaving you hungry and set up for a crap filled binge.

Another issue is sweeteners. NutraSweet, Equal, Sweet & Low, Splenda; if you are drinking "diet soda", chances are it contains one of these or similar sweeteners out there. NutraSweet & Equal contain aspartame, which some of the 92 side effects (as listed by the FDA) are: memory loss, nerve cell damage, migraines, reproductive disorders, mental confusion, brain lesions, blindness, joint pain, Alzheimer's, bloating, nervous system disorders, hair loss, food cravings, and weight gain. Sweet & Low contains saccharin, which is a coal-tar compound. Splenda is made by chlorinating sugar (or changing it's genetic structure); what you get is called sucralose, which the FDA proclaims 98% pure! The other 2% contains small amounts of heavy metals, methanol, and arsenic. Yummy. Drink up! Sucralose has been found to cause diarrhea; organ, genetic, immune system, and reproductive damage; swelling of the liver and kidneys; and a decrese in fetal body weight.

"There is no clear-cut evidence that sugar substitutes are useful in weight reduction. On the contrary, there is some evidence that these substances may stimulate appetite." (Dr. Mercola, "The Potential Dangers of Sucralose")

I stopped drinking soda several months ago in accordance with my switch to an organic diet (though there are some very delicious organic sodas which don't contain so much garbage). Anyways, I tried drinking a soda after not having one for 2 or 3 months. My roommate and I experienced the same effects LittleMoonRabbit described. Stomach pains and headaches-- the headaches were the worst of all though. After discovering this information about what is actually in those sodas, I see clearly why. The choice seems to be: drink/eat crap and die young and diseased, or give up those foods and live a happier, healthier, longer life. For some it's an easy and obvious choice, at the same time difficult and uncertain for others. People are starting to get curious though, they're becoming informed-- I see more and more people shop in the organic section everyday. As the standards of what we put into our body gradually rises, I believe the producers and their large corporate companies will have to adjust to serve a healthier nation. They may try other cheap, dangerous additions to our food supplies, but most, or some, of the people will know. As their products become less popular, it will be a matter of changing their ways or losing their business altogether.

I know I felt better when I was drinking a lot of green tea, but I have slipped back into the old diet soda habit. I really need to make some tea and get back into that habit.

The way I look at diet soda, from what I've read, is that when it enters your body, it basically turns into a formaldehyde. So basically, the diet soda is preserving your fat! Gross!

This is completely false. There's a tiny grain of truth in that aspartame does produce a tiny amount of formaldehyde in the digestion of it's two componemnt amino acids - but what is NOT said, is that one or both of these amino acids are in many, many, many foods - and they also break down into small amounts of formaldehyde.

So, while it's true, that aspartame breaks down into trace quantities of fomaldehyde - so do all other foods containing those amino acids, yet no one is afraid of the banana or thousands of other foods that have the same break down.

You've got to be very careful in assuming that small amounts of a harmful substance is harmful. Vitamin C breaks down into oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is toxic in large amounts, but perfectly safe in smaller amounts (which is why rhubarb leaves are poisonous, but the stalk is edible). Tea leaves are extremely high in oxalic acid, but because you don't eat a salad of tea leaves, tea is not considered poisonous, because the amount that transfers into the tea is significant, but not toxic.

Digestion and body processes produces a lot of "toxic substances," including formaldehyde, oxalic acid, hydrochloric (stomach) acid... There are many substances that are beneficial or benign at specific concentrations or circumstances and toxic or injurious at others.

Bang on, Ms Kaplods...
I once had a cosmetics salesperson tell me that botox turns into cancer cells...ROTFLMAO!!! Cracked me right up!
Kira

kaplods, I am a fan of your research. :)

So, while it's true, that aspartame breaks down into trace quantities of fomaldehyde - so do all other foods containing those amino acids, yet no one is afraid of the banana or thousands of other foods that have the same break down.

Digestion and body processes produces a lot of "toxic substances," including formaldehyde, oxalic acid, hydrochloric (stomach) acid... There are many substances that are beneficial or benign at specific concentrations or circumstances and toxic or injurious at others.

I have to disagree with your perspective. While it's true that other foods may break down in similar ways to these additives, the point is that they are artificial, they're additives. You're trying to compare compounds that occur naturally in our food to those that are manufactured into food. There is a big difference.

I'd also like to comment on what you stated about toxic substances present during our own body's processes. Again, these are substances that our body was meant to handle in certain concentrations, and that occur naturally in our system. As far as saying that toxic substances are okay in small amounts, that's about as bad as the Corn Refiner's Association advertising that High Fructose Corn Syrup is "fine in moderation". What exactly is a small acceptable amount of poison, or a moderate amount of dangerous chemicals? It's certainly not expressed in the products we consume that contain these ingredients. Also, it's a bit hard to eat such things "in moderation" when they are in practically everything we eat.

Where these compounds naturally occur such as in bananas, it is a level that is suitable for our systems to handle. However, aspartame and high fructose corn syrup are not naturally occuring in these foods. In fact, high fructose corn syrup doesn't occur anywhere in nature, it is made. They are artificial or synthetic, meaning: "a substance that is formulated or manufactured by a chemical process or by a process that chemically changes a substance extracted from naturally occurring plant, animal, or mineral sources, except that such term shall not apply to substances created by naturally occurring biological processes."

Kaplods, I hope I didn't sound too arguementative.. I've been known to get pretty passionate. Please forgive me if it comes across too harsh or rude. I value and respect your opinion, as well as the research you've done. Just my .02 cents added to the convo. :halffull:

I'm not offended, I just disagree. There are many substances that are beneficial at one level, and toxic at another. So "poison" often is very much a subjective term. Fat soluble vitamins, eventually become poisons if the concentrations are high enough.

If the formaldehyde concentrations were higher from aspartame than for natural foods, you would have a point, but it's my understanding that that is not true at all. In graduate school we studied PKU. PKU is the genetic disorder which was once the leading cause of preventable mental re- tardation, before the test was developed that is now administred at birth. Children with PKU have to follow a low phenylalanine diet until brain development is complete (at least until age 7, but many doctors recommend the diet until puberty). The diet is reportedly so limited and unpalatable, that most people following it say that "if it tastes good, you probably can't eat it." The professor teaching the class taught us that normal foods are a much higher risk to those with PKU than aspartame - because the concentrations of phenylalanine from food are actually much higher, but natural foods do not require a warning label, because PKU patients and their families have already been told which natural foods contain phenylalanine (and apparently, it's almost all foods, except for a few unpalatable choices).

I'm not saying that aspartame is healthy or harmless, but chemistry is chemistry, and while there may be dangers in consuming aspartame, the danger probably is not from the formaldehyde. Formaldehyde just sounds "scary," so it's very useful in anti-aspartame propaganda, because it's much more likely to think "formaldeyhyde - poison," than to think "formaldehyde - natural product of protein/amino acid metabolism."

HFCS is a bit of a different animal, in that, as I understand it, the biochemistry of HFCS is significantly different than most naturally occuring sugars, thus the chemistry is actually different.

I hate diet soda and think it isnt good for weight loss

However the formaldehyde thing is a myth. Tomato juice produces just as much formaldehyde in the system as diet coke. It is a temporary step in the metabolism of methane. So basically you can fart out your gas, or some of it may be absorbed and you will metabolize it and it temporarily will go through formaldehyde before it is metabolized to something else.

well aside from all the mumbo jumbo..... there is one thing that should make sense to everyone no matter what research you follow...

The problem with diet soda and any other drink or food that is artificially sweetened and contains little to no calories is the communication between our taste buds and the brain....... you eat or drink something overtly sweet, and your body thinks its receiving calories, when no calories are present, things go into overdrive and your brain tells your stomach somethings missing, you get hungry, and alot of times eat even though you dont need to...

I cut out all diet soda 3 weeks ago, I rely strictly on water and a glass or two of skim milk a day, and just doing that cut my hunger dramatically, and i'm not drinking anymore than I was when I was drinking Diet Coke.

I just feel that if you are drinking diet sodas instead of real sodas, you are not really changing your habits. Why not just cut them out all together?

And yes, the artificial sweeteners are scary. If you want something sweet, either use actual sugar, or grab a piece of fruit. It seems a much safer choice. :)

This is completely false. There's a tiny grain of truth in that aspartame does produce a tiny amount of formaldehyde in the digestion of it's two componemnt amino acids - but what is NOT said, is that one or both of these amino acids are in many, many, many foods - and they also break down into small amounts of formaldehyde.

So, while it's true, that aspartame breaks down into trace quantities of fomaldehyde - so do all other foods containing those amino acids, yet no one is afraid of the banana or thousands of other foods that have the same break down.

You've got to be very careful in assuming that small amounts of a harmful substance is harmful. Vitamin C breaks down into oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is toxic in large amounts, but perfectly safe in smaller amounts (which is why rhubarb leaves are poisonous, but the stalk is edible). Tea leaves are extremely high in oxalic acid, but because you don't eat a salad of tea leaves, tea is not considered poisonous, because the amount that transfers into the tea is significant, but not toxic.

Digestion and body processes produces a lot of "toxic substances," including formaldehyde, oxalic acid, hydrochloric (stomach) acid... There are many substances that are beneficial or benign at specific concentrations or circumstances and toxic or injurious at others.


However, it is much more effective for me to think of diet coke being turned into formaldehyde & preserving my fat. =P

Thanks for sharing the link--my grandma always bugs me saying that anything carbonated makes you bloated. I know that diet sodas are unnatural and for the most part, I want to avoid anything that's unnatural.

You know, though, I have been exercising a whole bunch and am finding it hard NOT to eat, eat EAT in the evenings. I never seem to feel FULL! But I find that having 2 cans of diet soda (Diet ginger ale is my favorite) gives me that feeling of fullness.
I know my calorie intake is where it should be. I just want to feel "full". And Diet Soda does the trick for me.
Kira

Every so often I vow to give up my beloved Coke Zero after reading a report on how bad it is for you or that it can actually cause you to overeat. This usually last a few days and then I find myself giving in when I see my boyfriend drinking his cans of regular Coke with glee.

I finally decided that for me a a few cans a week was not going to kill me, or at least not in the immediate future.

great thread and very informative from all sides (and passionate :) I love that).

so here's my take: of course Diet sodas are not good for you! Especially when ALL you drink ALL day long is diet soda. I drink *maybe* one a day if that. ONE. What about moderation? As I stated in the other thread - when I only have ONE diet soda a day (IF I have one) I am not affected in any way shape or form by cravings, mental or physical. So, what if moderation were actually the key here and you DON'T have to cut it out if you don't really want to?

How many people still eat chocolate and ice cream and chips and fast food on a regular basis? Guess what? McDonald's is NOT good for you. "Fake" ice cream and chips are not good for you. Cookies are not good for you, but does that mean you should NEVER have those things again? Moderation is the key, IMHO, otherwise, people could argue that pretty much everything is bad for you. Vegans or Vegetarians argue that meat is not only murder but it's also bad for you. Atkins Advocates will tell you that bread/potatoes/rice is bad for you. Weight Watchers will tell calorie counters that eating (what they consider) too little calories is bad for you. We can't do anything right here! :lol:

So, yeah. Diet sodas are not good for me. I know. That's cool. I quit smoking, I hardly drink alchohol anymore, I never eat fast food (NEVER), I never buy nor consume "snack" foods or have them in my house, heck I hardly even go out to eat at a nice restaurant! I think one Diet Soda a day is not going to kill me or even wreck my planned day.

cool :) did I kill the thread? :D

Diet soda fills me up.

If I have eaten all my points for the day and its late and I'm hungry, I'll drink some diet pepsi and I feel all full and make it until bed time without eating.

All things in moderation. Sure, if you sit around all day and drink diet soda it can't be good for you. News flash, sitting around all day and drinking sugary soda isn't good for you either. Let's not get too conclusive about these studies for people who drink a couple of 8 oz glasses of diet Coke per day. I have a master's degree is molecular biology and I still consume Aspartame in moderation. It's been a god send. I don't have headaches or digestive problems and as far as these artificial sweeteners being converted to formaldehyde, everything we eat is converted into smaller molecular molecules in our body - its called metabolic digestion. Non-scientists need to be very careful before handing out recommendations that they do not truly understand nor have they scientifically evaluated the research data. FYI, Aspartame is one of the most highly researched food additives - EVER!

I have to point out that I began to get mysterious, excruciating headaches last year, which eventually progressed to the point that I couldn't even get out of bed for over a week. No TV, no music, no reading; I couldn't do anything but draw the curtains, put a mask over my eyes to block out even the dimmest light, and pray that the awful pain would go away.

There was an afternoon when I realized that I'd felt relatively normal all day, and when my boyfriend came home he brought me a bottle of diet green tea. After downing it my headache immediately came back.

It was then I made the connection: aspartame. I'd been having the occasional diet soft drink for months after I moved, hoping to lower my sugar intake. And I'd also noticed I'd been getting headaches since I moved as well, which I originally attributed to stress and the extreme change in climate. I have a feeling that whatever it is that messed with me had a chance to build up over the months to get me to that awful point of not being able to get out of bed.

It took several weeks to clear out of my system, but except for the occasional slip-up I haven't touched the stuff. And if I do slip up over forgetting to check labels, I end up paying for it with a mild headache and/or a foggy feeling in my head. But at least in those cases it's a small amount that hasn't built up.

Interestingly, my overactive bladder issue that I'd had for about the same amount of time cleared up as well.

Regardless of what people say for or against aspartame and what supposedly is good or bad about it, I consider it poison and was appalled after not only what i went through, but from reading the side effects listed by the FDA itself.

Wow, how does this stuff stay on the market? How many more people are getting unknown side effects that they attribute to other issues?

But how do you break the soda habit!!! I am totally addicted to diet coke. Got to have my Sonic diet vanilla coke almost every day. I know it's not good for me, when my stress levels are through the roof, which is always, I have trouble keeping away from it.

-Becca

I have to admit that I am addicted to diet pepsi and coke zero. And I drink a lot of it during the day. However, I have not noticed any of the side effects described. In fact, I find drinking the regular sugary versions gives me headaches, makes me feel dizzy and spacey - probably from the quick concentration of sugar all at one time.

Diet soda has really helped me in eliminating calories. Sometimes I feel like binging, but I have a glass of ice and diet soda and gets rid of the temptation.

I guess it's a trade off for some of us.

We all have different body types so it is hard to figure out how some people lose and others maintain weight when drinking diet soda. Water, or black coffee or tea (green oolong or black) would be best but one needs to get used to drinking them plain.