A 12-ounce can of regular soda contains 140 calories (sometimes more, depending on the brand or flavor) and it’s obvious that a serving of it is not ideal for weight-conscious individual. If you think that choosing the diet variety which clocks in at 0 calories is a smart move, think again. While it seems like diet soda is a healthier option, it’s actually not!
Even with the absence of sugar, diet soda can be blamed for all sorts of things — from a wrecked smile, increased risk of metabolic syndrome to weight gain. You read that correctly — weight gain! Now isn’t it ironic that something marketed for people who want to slim down can actually cause their waistlines to expand?
So should you turn your back on diet soda? By all means, yes! Continue reading to know some of the reasons why diet soda a fizzy health- and figure-wrecker in disguise, according to medical professionals:
Diet Soda Plays Games with Your Body
Since artificial sweeteners are sweeter than sugar, regular intake of diet soda can dull your taste perception, causing naturally-sweet foods to eventually taste less enticing. What’s more, doctors say that artificial sweeteners can trigger insulin resistance just like refined sugar, causing your body to store fat. The result? Read the next reason.
It Could Cause Weight Gain
Since the intake of artificial sweetener-containing diet soda can set off insulin production, weight gain is inevitable. Here’s another reason why diet soda consumption can actually leave you packing unwanted pounds: because you know that what you are drinking is devoid of calories, you might feel that it’s justifiable to load up on pizza, donuts and chips.
Drinking It Can Put You at Risk of Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a bunch of problems such as increased blood pressure, high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar and obesity, and it’s something that can increase your chances of having diabetes, heart disease, heart attack and stroke! A can of diet soda a day is linked to a 36% increase in risk of metabolic syndrome, based on a Minnesota study.
Its Consumption Could Give You a Headache
One of the artificial sweeteners used by diet soda manufacturers is aspartame. Did you know that several different studies conducted on the saccharine substance linked it to development of headaches in certain individuals? Lots of doctors said that some of their patients’ bouts of migraine could be traced to the consumption of aspartame-containing diet sodas.
Diet Soda is Bad for Your Pearly Whites
Just because diet soda contains no sugar doesn’t mean that it’s incapable of wreaking havoc to your smile. There is an ingredient in both regular and diet sodas that can ruin your teeth some time in the future — citric acid. In fact, studies show that the level of tooth erosion brought about by diet soda intake is the same as cocaine and methamphetamine use.
Consuming It May Leave Your Bones Brittle
A Tufts University study revealed that the risk of osteoporosis in women (they are 60% at higher risk of it than men!) considerably increased by the regular intake of soda — regular and diet alike. The said study concluded that female soda drinkers had lower bone mineral density in the hips than women who didn’t drink soda.
The Fizzy Beverage Yields No Nutrient
It’s true that diet soda packs 0 calories, but it’s also devoid of any nutritional value. Basically, it’s just like drinking plain water — but with all the nasty effects discussed above. It is without a doubt that you are better off chugging water. Can’t say bye-bye to the fizz? Easy! Reach for a bottle of sparkling water instead of that can of diet soda.
