Most of us have heard of the study at Purdue that demonstrated that rats on diets containing the artificial sweetener saccharin gained more weight than rats given sugary food. The same phenomenon has also been demonstrated in people... The logical reason being that artificial sweeteners make you crave carbs and causes one to overeat.

I was wondering if diet sodas slowed your metabolism at all. I would think that due to the caffeine, if anything, would speed it up :D. I'm cutting right now and have very strict control over my diet. As long as I have diet control, there's really no way diet sodas can mess with my cutting, right?

Must you drink it?

Pop has a high GI index, and like you said it'll only make you even more hungry. Personally I'd stay away from the stuff.

Of course, I drink it at BBQs, stuff like that....but otherwise its just water for me.

I honestly don't know, but I'll echo Azure with the question: Do you really feel the need to drink it? I gave it up incredibly easily and now only drink it when I'm visiting family or when they visit me and ask that I have cans available. Unless you're craving it, then I would suggest drinking something else.

On the other hand, if you're in a cut and diet coke is the only thing you're craving, then you've a leg up on me and I'd say there are a lot worse things you could be ingesting.

Pop has a high GI index

:confused: Diet doesn't, as it has no carbs.

I drink quite a bit of diet Coke (maybe half to one litre every day) even though I know I shouldn't. :o

For me personally, I know for sure that it has no impact on my blood sugar, does not contribute calories, and alleviates my carb cravings rather than elevating them. I know this because at least 5 pounds of my initial weight loss came from ONLY the change from regular pop to diet.

I'm really not sure how Crystal Light has been elevated one step up above diet pop. I suppose it must be because pop contains phosphorous, which has been said to have the potential to leach calcium from your system. I'm really not sure if this is conclusive though. I usually choose diet Coke because it's $1 for every 2 Litres, and Crystal Light is $2 for enough packets to make 2 1/2 litres, which you then have to mix up yourself.

I don't really buy the "aspartame is poison" argument either, because the studies that have shown those effects have used amounts of it that wouldn't normally be seen in a normal human population. Don't forget that a high sugar intake also is carcinogenic, obesogenic, etc.

I personally prefer Diet Coke to regular Coke or even to juice, but I am trying to replace more of it with plain water.

Pop has a high GI index:confused: Diet doesn't, as it has no carbs.
I think I remember reading somewhere regular sodas are actually low GI. (high fructose corn syrup, that is...)
I could be wrong; too lazy to check. Someone correct me!

I don't really buy the "aspartame is poison" argument either
I don't believe it either, but I switched to splenda diet coke just in case!

I drink quite a bit of diet Coke (maybe half to one litre every day) even though I know I shouldn't. :o

For me personally, I know for sure that it has no impact on my blood sugar, does not contribute calories, and alleviates my carb cravings rather than elevating them. I know this because at least 5 pounds of my initial weight loss came from ONLY the change from regular pop to diet.

I'm really not sure how Crystal Light has been elevated one step up above diet pop. I suppose it must be because pop contains phosphorous, which has been said to have the potential to leach calcium from your system. I'm really not sure if this is conclusive though. I usually choose diet Coke because it's $1 for every 2 Litres, and Crystal Light is $2 for enough packets to make 2 1/2 litres, which you then have to mix up yourself.

I don't really buy the "aspartame is poison" argument either, because the studies that have shown those effects have used amounts of it that wouldn't normally be seen in a normal human population. Don't forget that a high sugar intake also is carcinogenic, obesogenic, etc.

I personally prefer Diet Coke to regular Coke or even to juice, but I am trying to replace more of it with plain water.

I agree with you guava. I used to drink LOTS of regular soda and I'm not sure how many pounds I gave up just by switching to diet. I don't drink as much soda as I used to (even now that I switched to diet) but I see nothing wrong with drinking it, since as you pointed out, it has no calories, etc etc etc.

I don't believe it either, but I switched to splenda diet coke just in case!

me too :o

I don't really buy the "aspartame is poison" argument either, because the studies that have shown those effects have used amounts of it that wouldn't normally be seen in a normal human population. Don't forget that a high sugar intake also is carcinogenic, obesogenic, etc.

I don't believe it either, but I switched to splenda diet coke just in case!

haha i've heard that you have to eat 100 packets of artificial sweeteners a day for some 50 years for it to have any adverse effects on you

Add me to the "I love diet coke" list. I drink, on average, 2 L a day (yes, 2 Liters). Love the stuff. It has been on the market for 25 years, and to date there is no evidence that it or aspartame have any negative effects on human health.

I also drink 2 L of filtered water, just to be sure I'm getting enough fluids.

:confused: Diet doesn't, as it has no carbs.

Oops. :nod:

How do you deal with the extra sodium if you're drinking 2L per day?

Beats me. I also salt the hell out of my food. Despite this, my BP is a rock-solid 124/76.

i say if you want to choose between a 6 pack of diet pop, a 6 pack of beer, or a gallon of ice cream. diet pop is by FAR the lesser of those evils.

i don't think diet pop in, cue the redundancy music, MODERATION hurts anything as long as you keep your regular water intake where it needs to be. in other words, don't sub pop for water. i lived on diet pop, tuna fish, vegetables, and fruit when i went from 50 lbs heavier than this:

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff144/fullpen2k7/fat.jpg

to this:
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff144/fullpen2k7/me2.jpg

How do you deal with the extra sodium if you're drinking 2L per day?

I don't worry about sodium much personally. I get a lot, but I drink a lot of fluids and try to make sure to get decent amounts of potassium, especially during my carb ups where it's easier to take them in.

Within reason, sodium isn't quite as bad as some make it out to be. The potassium/sodium balance is more important overall. The problem is many people are potassium deficient I think.

Not even everybody that has hypertension are sodium senitive in their blood pressure.

Well, extra sodium isn't going to hurt you, but some people are getting WAY too much.

Way, way too much. 6,000mg too much.

I don't have a 'problem' with pop, even the non-diet stuff. If you drink it in moderation, its not a problem.

I would be more concerned about the negative effects of carbonation than I would be about the artificial sweetener.

Carbonation does you absolutely no good.

I never drink that crap called "pop".

I never drink that crap called "pop".

In the south, we look at you funny if you call it "pop" anyway. "Coke" is the generic term for about any "pop" or "soda".

i know this is a thread for diet coke, but i drink 1 can or 2 cans a week of the Pepsi Max i like it alot more than diet coke.
I heard from people that there is an ingredient that is really bad for you in the Pepsi max something to do with the artificial sweetener
i tried researching but couldn't come across anything whats peoples take on Pepsi max vs diet coke?

i know this is a thread for diet coke, but i drink 1 can or 2 cans a week of the Pepsi Max i like it alot more than diet coke.
I heard from people that there is an ingredient that is really bad for you in the Pepsi max something to do with the artificial sweetener
i tried researching but couldn't come across anything whats peoples take on Pepsi max vs diet coke?

acesulfame potassium?

By the way, an entire 2 L diet coke contains only 240 mg of sodium. This is like adding a couple of pinches of salt onto your veggies.

As for carbonation, I have not seen any studies that link this to any human health issues - has anyone seen any clinical or peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate any adverse impact of carbonated beverages? If not, I would suggest not citing this as a fact, but rather as a personal opinion.

As for carbonation, I have not seen any studies that link this to any human health issues - has anyone seen any clinical or peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate any adverse impact of carbonated beverages? If not, I would suggest not citing this as a fact, but rather as a personal opinion.
It's not conclusive. A little bit more than a personal opinion, more like a possible conclusion based on a correlation.

Are Sodas Really Causing Osteoporosis? (http://osteoporosis.about.com/od/dietsupplements/a/soda.htm)

What I have heard in the medical field is that the artificial sweetner acts the same as sugar in that it tricks an insulin response from your pancreas. This is just what has been said whether it is true or not.

It's not conclusive. A little bit more than a personal opinion, more like a possible conclusion based on a correlation.

Are Sodas Really Causing Osteoporosis? (http://osteoporosis.about.com/od/dietsupplements/a/soda.htm)

This actually has been a concern for me - the signiicant amount of phosphoric acid in diet coke will combine with free calcium to form insoluble calcium phosphate. The decreased free calcium levels then drive calcium out of the bone to replace it (driven by the natural equilibrium between free and bound calcium in the body).

I also wonder about the long term effects of phosphoric acid-containing sodas like Diet Coke on tooth enamel.

My blood calcium levels are solidly in the "normal"range, so for me the former has not been an issue.

Read a basic human anatomy and physiology text.

Carbonation disturbs the pH of the blood. The body reacts by leeching calcium from your bones to bring the pH back to equilibrium.

I could probably find a peer study later tonight. But don't expect coke to tell you their product causes osteoporosis.

:nope:

I heard from people that there is an ingredient that is really bad for you in the Pepsi max something to do with the artificial sweetener

I know several diet drinks had ascorbic acid along with either sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate, which may combine to form a nasty compound called benzene, which is a carcinogen and can mess with DNA. I know something I drink, Vault Zero, originally had this combo but no longer does. I wouldn't be surprised that that was a possibility with Pepsi Max as well, but looking up the ingredients it doesn't have that combo now. The rest of the stuff on there isn't too different from Diek Coke minus some of the ginsing type stuff.

What I have heard in the medical field is that the artificial sweetner acts the same as sugar in that it tricks an insulin response from your pancreas. This is just what has been said whether it is true or not.


You can search for acesulfame-K on pubmed and find some minor insulin effects, but all the studies I've read show virtual none with sucralose or aspartame. The thing is there is often a combo of these, but I doubt you'll see much of a response from the amount of acesulfame-K in the typical soft drink.

Personally i stay away from all diet drinks and stick to my water.

I've never had a problem drinking Diet Coke myself; of course, I do tend to limit it to one or two a day, MAXIMUM.

I will attest from personal experience, and from many others echoing the same thing, that killing off "regular soda" will drop a couple pounds off you. I can't even drink regular soda now -- way too sweet.

I've become a huge convert of cold-brewed iced tea, seltzer water, and plain ol' ice water. :)

Read a basic human anatomy and physiology text.

Carbonation disturbs the pH of the blood. The body reacts by leeching calcium from your bones to bring the pH back to equilibrium.

I could probably find a peer study later tonight. But don't expect coke to tell you their product causes osteoporosis.

:nope:


Has it ever occurred to you that other foods you consume, those you consider healthy might do the same thing?

Some people are WAYYYY too paranoid about what they consume.

Diet soda will not make you gain weight assuming you are controlling what you eat otherwise.

Read a basic human anatomy and physiology text.

Carbonation disturbs the pH of the blood. The body reacts by leeching calcium from your bones to bring the pH back to equilibrium.

I could probably find a peer study later tonight.

Probably you can't. Studies that have been done pretty much show that carbonated beverages other than colas do not have a negative effect on bone density, etc. So it's not the carbonation.

And the phosphorus which is found in soda is not a huge amount. There is 0.3 gm in a 2L bottle of Coke Zero, for example. That is 10% of the tolerable amount. It's also half the amount in say, 1/4 cup of pumpikin seeds. As I type this, I am eating a 12 oz steak which has 0.75 gm of phosphorus in it - the equivalent of 5L of Coke Zero. So the thyroid problem people theorize could result from too much phosphorus from drinking soda will be pretty unusual.

Oddly enough, there was a guy who got sick from drinking too much soda, but his problem was bromism (too much bromine). That comes with a bunch of psychiatric/neurological symptoms. I heard this one on one of those continuing education medical seminars on difficult diagnoses. The guy had to drink something like 8 liters a day to get that; which he had been doing for years. They didn't report him as being toothless or having dowager's hump, etc. So at least in that case, here is a guy who pretty much maxed out his soda intake and the first thing to get him was the bromism.

Personally I drink soda when in the office.

We could agree soda is less than ideal? Water, tea, et cetera would be better alternatives?

But if your goal is increasing muscle mass, you want to increase bone density. If drinking one can of soda decreases your body density by 0.00001%, and you were competing in an athletic competition, would you?

(Perhaps we could hypothetically ask you this question if you were training for the Olympics) :D

In the south, we look at you funny if you call it "pop" anyway. "Coke" is the generic term for about any "pop" or "soda".

I know I'm nitpicking here but that phenomenon of people calling EVERY soda (or pop) "coke" in the south never made any sense to me. I mean I completely understand why it happened and why people still continue to call any form of soda "coke", but it just seems like at some point someone would be like... alright... this needs to stop. It's the same thing as people calling all tissues "Kleenex", and the same as calling all bandages "Band-Aids", but the difference is if you asked someone for a kleenex or band-aid, there's a pretty good chance you'll end up with the item you had in mind when you asked for it. If you ask for a coke in the south... who the hell knows what you want... sprite? pepsi? dr. pepper? I dunno. I guess the variety in flavor of soda is the defining factor there...(I'm thinking out loud). And please don't think I mean that as an attack or insult or something by me writing about it, I don't mean any disrespect at all. I just wanted to comment on a certain linguistic phenomenon I still don't completely understand :)

Anyway, yeah I drink a lot of diet coke. Or to be exact, Cherry Zero. It's delicious, and I feel like it helps me avoid other sweets.

I know I'm nitpicking here but that phenomenon of people calling EVERY soda (or pop) "coke" in the south never made any sense to me.

You have to be here to understand. And it's probably because Coke is an Atlanta company and therefore very strong traditionally in the south.

I truly cringe for some reason when somebody says a nasally "pop" in reference to soft drinks. You can immediately tell "they ain't from around here" :D

For a not quite scientific view of the regionality of the terms, look here (http://popvssoda.com:2998/).