The main reason people switch to diet drinks is for them to actually cut back on calories in order to lose weight. Ask yourself this: Do you know a lot of people who actually lost weight simply by switching from regular Coke to Diet Coke? You might not know many and this is because unless followed by other lifestyle changes, drinking diet beverages is useless. There are some foods that offer zero nutritional value and diet beverages are one of them. It is important for people to understand the real risks that come along with this unhealthy habit.
What is Diet Soda?
Diet sodas are carbonated beverages. Instead of regular sugar, they are sweetened with artificial sweeteners such as acesulfame-k, aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin or sucralose. Almost every popular sugar-sweetened beverage out on the market now comes with a “light” or “diet” version. These drinks ARE calorie-free, which should help people lose weight and prevent some sugar-related diseases such as diabetes and metabolic syndrome. However, there seems to be no evidence that these beverages actually do those.
The Real Effects of Diet Soda
- It increases your risk of heart attack. One study found that people who drank diet soda every day were 44% more likely to suffer from a heart attack than those who abstained from drinking diet sodas.
- It alters your mood. The aspartame found in diet sodas has been linked to dizzy spells, headaches, and even mood swings. This especially happens in people with a predisposition for depression or anxiety.
- It is bad for the skin. Studies have shown that regular soda habits have been linked to accelerated aging. Aside from that, diet sodas also lower your pH levels – this can cause acne and leave your skin looking dull.
- It increases your chance of developing diabetes. People with a daily soda habit were more than 25% more likely to develop type-2 diabetes than those individuals who had no more than one sugary drink every month.
- It leads to weight gain. A study by the University of Texas Health Science Center found that the more diet sodas a person drinks, the greater their risk of becoming overweight. Downing two or more cans in a day increases waistlines by 50%.
Bottom Line
Although diet soda seems like a health-conscious choice, always keep in mind that there’s more to a chemically-processed beverage than meets the eye. The best no-calorie beverage you can ingest is none other than plain old water. If you are after the fizziness of carbonated beverages, try sparkling water, instead!
