This is scary. I'm not sure I should post this here, but if I knew how to give you a link, I would. This came in an email from "Leanne" of the Flylady group. She does a flyer having to do with food. This is only a partial quote of her letter:

"The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio ran an
eight year study to study the effects of soft drink use. Sharon P.
Fowler, MPH, who ran the study, had this shocking statement to say,
"What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to
overweight and obesity. What was surprising was when we looked at
people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even
higher."

Of the 622 participants—all of normal weight at the beginning of the
study, about a third became overweight or obese.

For the regular soft drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight
or obese was:

*26% for up to ˝ can each day
*30.4% for ˝ to one can each day
*32.8% for 1 to 2 cans each day
*47.2% for more than 2 cans each day.

But look at the increase for diet soft-drink drinkers!

*36% for up to ˝ can per day
*37.5% for ˝ to one can per day
*54.5% for 1 to 2 cans per day
*57.1% for more than 2 cans each day.

For each can of diet soda consumed, a person's risk of obesity went up
41%!!!

One of the theories of why the difference may have something to do
with trying to fool our bodies. We give them the sweet taste of a diet
drink, but no calories. Another recent study showed that baby rats
when fed artificial sweeteners craved more calories than baby rats fed
real sugar.

Fowler says, "If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot
of calories, but it isn't there, your body is alerted to the
possibility that there is something there and it will search for the
calories promised but not delivered."

She goes on to say, "People think they can just fool the body. But
maybe the body isn't fooled. If you are not giving your body those
calories you promised it, maybe your body will retaliate by wanting
more calories. Some soft drink studies also suggest that diet drinks
stimulate appetite."

ok....so give the ppl who drank sugared soda the same amount of food that the diet soda drinkers had....Im positive the percentages would be completely different!!

Its just like Dr. A says in his book....stay away from artificial sweeteners, some will cause sugar cravings, or fool your body into thinking it has sugar, and will hang on to the calories rather than burn them. Its effects everyone different. I dont have issues with the artificial sweetener, but I use splenda, and only nutrasweet sparingly.

How many of us order diet soda at mcdonalds or places like that? Do you drink regular soda when you're pigging out on hohos??? Not me, I always always always drink the diet stuff over the sugared. Yup, Im obese, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the soda I drink, its the food I eat.

I was a coke classic drinker for years, loved the stuff, would drink it by the case....drinking coke classic, and eating aero bars and butter tarts helped me skyrocket my weight up and over 300lbs! The more sugar the better!! I have not had a coke classic in 9yrs, and Im 100lbs less. Yes in part to NOT drinking sugared soda! Because if I hadnt gotten that sugar craving out of my system, Id still be 300lbs.

Im sorry Sherry Im not venting at you, just at the studies that dont get all the facts or mislead us to think the worst about something that isnt nearly as bad as they are letting on.

Id love to see the study background on this, what was in everyone's food diary, if they kept one.

Anyway, Im done my rant.

I just thought the idea was interesting that our bodies might go "looking" for promised calories. Or that baby rats wanted more calories than those fed real sugar... She isn't saying that the diet soda makes you fat, but that maybe it convinces the body there are calories coming and that when they aren't delivered it is more hungry for the real thing.

It is something to think about. I've wondered that about my low carb "treats" if they don't somehow make up for the non low carb treats I'm not eating. Of course most of the treats I eat don't contain zero calories (like diet soda would) so maybe some of that is taken care of because the body is getting some calories "as promised".

I dont agree with it. I think its a chemical reaction our bodies have to sugar, and the promise of sugar. If a person has a tendency store what they eat rather than burn it off....the promise of sugar will act the same as sugar. The body thinks its sugar, and stores what you have eaten rather than burn it. So...diet drink or not, the body is going to act the same.

Im curious to know how many in that study were carb addicts, or sugar addicts?? I honestly think we are in a class of our own. We have to adjust for our bodies, and how food and drink affects each of us personally.

Yes its interesting, but as soon as I read it, I got all fired up and seriously pissed off. I had to really think about my post so that I didnt offend you, or have you think I was directing my tirade at you.

Thats just my opinion.