by
Stepy —
August 25, 2013
- Diet sodas have been marketed as a better drink choice than regular soda. New ads from major soda companies have promoted their efforts to reduce obesity by releasing a product that has much fewer calories than regular soda. These ads also highlight the fact that they have removed sugary drinks in schools by 90 percent. But is this really a good thing? We have already seen how artificially sweetened drinks raise depression risk.
- Are diet sodas a better alternative, or could they be even worse than drinking regular soda?
- A recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition uncovered some facts that should make us think twice before reaching for diet drinks.
- 1. Drinking diet sodas increases the risk of developing diabetes more than regular sodas sweetened with sugar.
- 2. Women who drank a 12-ounce diet soda had a 33 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- 3. Women who drank a 20-ounce diet soda had a 66 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Women who drank diet sodas drank twice as much than those who drank regular sodas, showing that artificial sweeteners are much more addictive.
- 4. The average diet soda drinker consumes 3 diet drinks a day.
- So why are diet sodas worse than regular sugar sweetened sodas?
- Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are designed to be significantly sweeter than regular sugar.
- They fool our body’s metabolism to thinking that sugar has been consumed, when it really hasn’t. Our body then produces more insulin, which is known as a fat storage hormone. The excess insulin produces belly fat.
- It makes our body’s metabolism less efficient, so we burn fewer calories.
- It makes us crave more sugary and starchy foods like bread and pasta.
- According to an animal study rats that ate artificial sweeteners ate more food, had slower metabolism, and had an increase in body fat.
- “There is no free ride. Diet drinks are not good substitutes for sugar-sweetened drinks. They increase cravings, weight gain, and type 2 diabetes. And they are addictive,” states Dr. Mark Hyman.
- This and other research shows how diet sodas make people fat and sick.
- For the dangers of aspartame.
- For how sugary drinks may increase depression risk.
- REFERENCES
- 1. Hyman, Mark, M.D. “How Diet Soda Makes You Fat (and Other Food and Diet Industry Secrets).” DrHyman.com. Dr. Mark Hyman, 22 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.
- 2. “Consumption of Artificially and Sugar-sweetened Beverages and Incident Type 2 Diabetes.” AJCN.Nutrition.org. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.
- 3. “A Role for Sweet Taste: Calorie Predictive Relations in Energy Regulation by Rats.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb. 2008. Web. 19 Aug. 2013.
