So, what’s the answer to the question, “Does diet soda make you fat?” Simply put, yes, it can. As reported in a 2015 study, researchers followed 749 adults aged 65 and older for almost a decade.
If this is true, drinking a can of Diet Coke is going to do all of these things: Trick your body into thinking it’s just had sugar Switch on fat storage mode, causing you to gain weight
However, past studies have shown that drinking beverages with artificial sweeteners, like Diet Coke, can contribute to weight gain. Further research shows that drinks containing fake sugars can affect more than just weight.
Many people give up their regular sodas and turn to Diet Coke as part of their efforts to lose weight. While it may make a difference if you switch from consuming numerous regular sodas a day to only diet ones, that isn’t the only piece of the puzzle.
Researchers analyzed data from the San Antonio Heart Study, which followed more than 5,000 adults for between seven and eight years. Although people who drank both sugar-sweetened and diet sodas gained weight, diet soda drinkers were more likely to become obese.
A normal 20 oz. Coke, on the other hand, has 240 calories and 68 grams of sugar (holy ****), which definitely causes weight gain.
Strokes are a serious health matter and, naturally, most people would do everything they could to help prevent them. However, when you drink Diet Coke every day, you are actually increasing your risk for a stroke. As Healthline reported, “Observational studies have linked diet soda to an increased risk of stroke.”
What does it mean to drink diet coke?
That means that consuming a Diet Coke compared to drinking a regular Coke means you are consuming significantly fewer calories per day. We focus on quantity of calories and then move into quality of calories in our 10-Level Nerd Fitness Diet.
By the way, here are our thoughts on Caffeine – when consumed in moderation, and from a source like black coffee or black/green tea – caffeine can be a powerful aid in productivity ( and life satisfaction if you’re a coffee aficionado!)
I recommend that you cut back on soda/sugary drinks as much as possible, and if that means switching to Diet Soda for the time being, great. If you think water is too boring, consider sparkling water with a lime wedge squeezed into it! If you need caffeine, go with black coffee or unsweet iced tea.
That comes down to the food you’re consuming. If you eat healthy food in moderate portions and also drink diet soda, you’re still going to be SIGNIFICANTLY healthier than somebody who eats unhealthy food in large portions but doesn’t drink any soda. Your nutrition is everything!
Who discovered artificial sweeteners altered the body’s ability to regulate calorie intake?
When Purdue researchers Susan Swithers, PhD, and Terry Davidson, PhD, published their first studies in rats designed to test their theory that artificial sweeteners alter the body’s ability to regulate calorie intake, they were not prepared for the press attention their research received.
In the first study, two groups of rats were fed sweet, flavored, cola-like liquids. For one group, the liquid was always sweetened with sugar so there was a consistent relationship between the sweet taste and calories.
Katz says stealth sugars are those added to processed foods that don’t taste sweet, such as crackers , breads , and pasta sauce. They usually come in the form of high-fructose corn syrup. Although some commercial pasta sauces contain no added sugars, others contain more than ice cream toppings, Katz says.
Researchers found that compared to people who didn’t drink sodas at all , those who drank both sugar-sweetened and diet soda were more likely to develop metabolic syndrome — a cluster of symptoms often linked to obesity that increase risk for heart disease and diabetes.
Popkin, who heads the division of nutrition epidemiology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, says none of the studies makes a convincing case that no-calorie sodas contribute to weight gain.
It may also be that people with very poor diets disproportionately drink diet sodas. Popkin calls this the “Big Mac and Diet Coke” mentality. “Especially in America, we have a lot of people who eat high-fat, high-sugar diets, but also drink diet sodas,” he says.
At the end of the month, the chocolate milk group had gained significantly more weight . The first experiment suggested that by breaking the connection between sweet taste and calories, artificial sweeteners interfere with the body’s natural ability to judge calorie content, Swithers says.
Does diet soda increase weight?
A two-year study in of 164 children published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that “Increases in diet soda consumption were significantly greater for overweight and subjects who gained weight as compared to normal weight subjects.
According to the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine review of the scientific literature, “consensus from interventional studies suggests that artificial sweeteners do not help reduce weight when used alone.” 12. Some studies also suggest that artificial sweeteners increase appetite, which may promote weight gain.
Some studies also suggest that artificial sweeteners increase appetite, which may promote weight gain. For example, the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine review found that “Preload experiments generally have found that sweet taste, whether delivered by sugar or artificial sweeteners, enhanced human appetite.” 13.
People who regularly consume artificial sweeteners are at increased risk of “excessive weight gain, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, ” 11 according to a 2013 Purdue review over 40 years published in Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Scientific References. Aspartame, the world’s most popular sugar substitute, is found in thousands of sugar-free, low-sugar and so-called “diet” drinks and foods. Yet the scientific evidence described in this fact sheet links aspartame to weight gain, increased appetite, diabetes, metabolic derangement and obesity-related diseases.
Aspartame, Weight Gain + Obesity Related Issues. Five reviews of the scientific literature on artificial sweeteners suggest that they do not contribute to weight loss, and instead may cause weight gain.
According to the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine review, “ Inconsistent coupling between sweet taste and caloric content can lead to compensatory overeating and positive energy balance.”.
Does diet drink affect mental health?
What’s more, diet drink intake may raise your risk of developing diseases like diabetes and harm your mental health ( 4, 5 ).
Diet drinks are advertised as a healthier alternative to their sugar- and calorie-laden counterparts, and they may be especially appealing to people wanting to lose weight. However, years of research suggest that diet drinks aren’t the waistline-friendly choice that they’re made out to be. Diet drinks not only offer no nutritional value …
Plus, people who regularly consume diet drinks are more likely to have poor diet quality and eat fewer fruits and vegetables than those who don’t drink them ( 3 ).
There are several ways in which diet drink consumption may lead to weight gain and other negative health outcomes. For example, the artificial sweeteners concentrated in diet beverages may lead to increased hunger and enhance cravings for higher calorie foods.
For example, diet drink intake has been associated with an increased risk of developing chronic diseases, including metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms that raises your risk of heart disease and diabetes. Specifically, diet beverage intake has been significantly linked to belly fat and high blood sugar, both of which are symptoms …
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