After the lesson we had about sugary drinks, I started to wonder if diet soda was any better for you. Wouldn’t you think that DIET soda would be the conscious dieter’s choice? I mean, it saves you the 160 + calories you would have consumed had you drank regular soda. However, this seemingly healthier choice is, in fact, worse for you than regular soda.
University of Texas researchers discovered that in a decade, people who regularly drink diet soda have a 70 percent greater increase in stomach fat than those who avoid diet soda. However, correlation does not equal causation. As people might rationalize that they did not consume a caloric drink, so it is okay for them to eat fattier foods. Thus, this increase in fat may be due to the psychology of a person.
Also, according to the American Academy of Neurology, it discovered that over the course of one decade, people who drank more than four cups of both diet and regular soda are 30% more likely to develop depression. Although both diet and regular drinks were accountable for the development of depression, the appearance of increased depression was more affluent for those who mainly consumed diet soft drinks. Therefore, it can be said that correlation does not equal causation since both regular and diet sodas led to depression. However, maybe there is an ingredient put in both kinds of sodas or other external variables that can cause depression.
Additionally, diet soda is not good for your overall physical health. The artificial sweeteners in diet sodas confuse your body because they cause the exact same reaction in your body as the sugar in regular soda. On that topic, dietician, Brooks Alpert, says “Artificial sweeteners trigger insulin, which sends your body into fat storage mode and leads to weight gain.”
Also, a University of Minnesota study discovered that diet soda is not beneficial for you because the consumption of one diet soda a day increases your risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes by 36 percent.
The bottom line is, although you are not consuming any calories, there is absolutely no beneficial value from diet soda. Diet drinks are absolutely useless to your health as you get no nutrients from it. If you want a no-calorie drink, stick with water. With regular consumption of water, you get hydrated with absolutely no health risks. That is a much healthier, beneficial option than diet soda.
http://authoritynutrition.com/why-is-diet-soda-bad-for-you/
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/10/29/10-reasons-to-give-up-diet-soda/
I’m a sucker for irony, so the idea of diet soda being a less healthy alternative is fascinating to me. I try to avoid soda because I’m fortunate enough to just not enjoy the taste, but I do like fruit juices, which are also inherently misleading. Half of their name is “fruit,” but as articles like this (http://authoritynutrition.com/fruit-juice-is-just-as-bad-as-soda/) show, fruit juice can be just as bad as soda.
I find this article very interesting because my biggest weakness when it comes to sugary drinks is diet coke. I consume pretty often and maybe it’s time for me to rethink this choice. I didn’t thick it had such a major effect but I’m going to stick to the idea that there can be something else causing this issue so I don’t feel too bad if I occasionally crack and grab a diet coke!
Great post! I always knew that diet soda wasn’t truly better for you. The name truly manipulates people because it does say “diet” as you stated. I think it’s fascinating how so many people drink diet soda for the reason of saving calories when, as you stated, it damages your body in other ways as well. Also, in my opinion, diet soda tastes disgusting! This was an awesome post.