Does Diet Coke Make You Gain Weight
Diet soda may make people want to eat more. Drinking artificially sweetened diet sodas may lead to increase in appetite and weight gain. Drinking artificial sweeteners may increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancer, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association .
The study also found that women who drank diet soda were more likely to have a higher body mass index , a measure of body fat, than those who did not drink the beverage. The researchers also noted that the results may not be generalizable to all women, as some women may be more sensitive to the effects of diet soft drinks on their health than others.
Experimental Studies On Artificial Sweeteners And Energy
Preload experiments generally have found that sweet taste, whether delivered by sugar or artificial sweeteners, enhanced human appetite. Aspartame-sweetened water, but not aspartame capsule, increased subjective appetite rating in normal weight adult males . Aspartame also increased subjective hunger ratings compared to glucose or water . Glucose preload reduced the perceived pleasantness of sucrose, but aspartame did not . In another study, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and saccharin were all associated with heightened motivation to eat and more items selected on a food preference list . Aspartame had the most pronounced effect, possibly because it does not have a bitter aftertaste. Unlike glucose or sucrose, which decreased the energy intake at the test meal, artificial sweetener preloads either had no effect or increased subsequent energy intake . Those findings suggest that the calorie contained in natural sweeteners may trigger a response to keep the overall energy consumption constant.
Should You Drink Diet Soda
While drinking diet soda once in a while may not necessarily cause weight gain, you should not rely on it to lose weight. Monitor your calorie intake throughout the day and observe how it impacts your weight.
Ideally, it is best to limit the intake of all kinds of carbonated drinks. Better options include plain water, unsweetened tea, or fruit-infused water.
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Can Soda Water Make Me Gain Weight
Soda water is just carbonated water. In most cases, soda water is plain water that has been infused with carbon dioxide. Moreover, sparkling mineral water is found in nature. Furthermore, companies may add extra carbon dioxide and minerals for a unique flavor.
Soda water has no calories or sweeteners. Therefore, its good for weight loss.
Above all, we need water to lose weight. For instance, our bodies need water to effectively burn fat for energy. On the contrary, dehydration may cause weight gain.
Drinking fresh juices is another great way to hydrate the body. Fruits and vegetables contain purified water. Theyre natures filters! The best natural beverage for weight loss is water lemon. It hydrates, provides minerals, and contains only 10 calories per glass.
Additionally, you should eat lots of foods high in water, such as watermelons, or cucumbers to lose weight. Theyre pretty low in calories and keep us full for a long time!
Furthermore, drinking plain water with foods high in dietary fiber regulates appetite. So, water helps us consume fewer calories throughout the day.
Last, but not least, carbonated water may keep us full for a little longer, compared to plain water!
Diet Soda Sweetener May Cause Weight Gain
Aspartame is a common sugar substitute used as a sweetener in many prepared foods and beverages, particularly diet soda. It is a common choice for those trying to lose weight, as it lowers the number of calories in food. However, new research suggests the sweetener may be ineffective for weight loss, and it may even have the opposite effect.
Some research indicates that even acceptable daily intakes of aspartame, as regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration , might make you hungrier and lead to weight gain.
Other studies in rodents have shown that compared with sugar, sweeteners like saccharin and aspartame causes weight gain instead of weight loss.
Reasons why this may happen are not entirely clear, but a team of researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital decided to investigate why aspartame does not promote weight loss.
Their research published in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism. suggests one of aspartames metabolites may play a role.
The researchers were led by Dr. Richard Hodin, from the Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Surgery.
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A True Or False Quiz On Diet Soda And Propaganda
Substitute diet soda and diet drinks for sugary drinks. False.
Eat low-fat foods. False.
Just eat less of the bad foods its all about the calories. False.
Just have more willpower. False.
These are examples of diet soda and food industry propaganda that make and keep us, fat and sick.
Lies by the food industry combined with bad government policy based on food industry lobbying are the major cause of our obesity and diabetes epidemic.
It Makes Our Bodies Produce Insulin
Insulin, secreted by the pancreas, is how the human body stores sugar. When the taste of artificial sweeteners hits your brain, it automatically sends a signal to your pancreas to begin producing insulin. Insulin is what tells our cells to either use sugar as food or store it as fat–without it, our bodies can’t process the sugar that lands in our bloodstreams. When your pancreas produces insulin to deal with anticipated sugar, but then no sugar arrives, it confuses your body and disrupts its metabolic process. This may explain why several studies have shown a link between regularly drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome, a collection of symptoms that includes larger waist circumference, higher blood pressure, and higher blood sugar.
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Can Diet Soda Cause Belly Fat
When looking at diet soda, it contains no added calories or sugar as its typically sweetened by an artificial sweetener like sucralose. While this can be appealing, there are some studies that show how drinking diet soda often may be linked to weight gain.
Some people may also find that artificial sweeteners cause unwanted effects like bloating, which can temporarily expand the belly, Mackenzie Burgess, RDN, registered dietitian nutritionist and recipe developer at Cheerful Choices, explains.
Another factor at play is carbonation. Soda contains mini air pockets which contribute to air building up in the stomach and may leave you feeling bloated and gassy.
Diet soda has zero calories and does not contribute to the total caloric intake for the day,” says Shena Jaramillo MS, RD. However, it’s important to note that because we are having a zero calorie beverage, our body may increase our craving for other food choices to meet its calorie needs.
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Diet Soda And Bloating
Some diet fizzy beverages use certain sweeteners that may cause or increase the risk of stomach bloating and digestive distress. For example, sugar alcohols, which are found in some diet sodas and other diet foods, cause digestive issues such as gas, bloating and even diarrhea in some people. The amount needed to cause gastrointestinal upset varies greatly from person to person. Some people can tolerate a moderate amount of sugar alcohols, while others experience gas or other side effects with small amounts. Sugar alcohols end in “-ol,” which includes sorbitol, xylitol and mannitol. If you see any of these listed in the ingredient list of your diet drink, it’s sweetened with sugar alcohols and may be causing the bloating you’re experiencing.
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Its important to keep in mind that there are many variables that contribute to weight gain.
We need to consider that those choosing diet products are likely feeling deprived of natural sugars and may be compensating for the lack of sugar in diet soda in other ways , says Jaramillo.
We also need to consider that simply taking calories “as low as they can go” is detrimental for weight loss. Those consuming diet soda may be cutting calories to an extreme which could be leading to weight gain and metabolism slow down, Jaramillo explains.
The problem is not the diet soda, but rather other behavioral characteristics that those choosing diet soda may incorporate in their day-to-day routines.
Diet Soda Triggers Your Belly Fat Storage Hormone
Think of insulin as your body’s fat-storage hormone. We all need insulin, but when it goes into overdrive too often, we get fat….especially through our belly area. Diet soda seems to call on insulin to go into action when it really doesn’t need to.
When we eat or drink something, our blood sugar levels naturally rise. If we eat a reasonable amount of a healthy food that’s not too high in sugar, blood sugar levels rise a reasonable amount, which triggers the release of a reasonable amount of insulin that comes into action to pull down elevating blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels and insulin should work in perfect harmony.
When we eat too much of something that’s too sugary, our blood sugar levels jump up really high. When this happens, a lot of insulin rushes in to pull all that sugar in your blood down. Sometimes insulin pulls down so hard that it crashes.
When insulin crashes, you feel it. A lot.
More often than not, you’ll feel this when you get really tired after having a big meal or you suddenly become really hungry even though you at not so long ago.
Diet soda, despite not having any calories, seems to trigger a similar response with relation to our insulin levels.
Some researcher suggest that diet sodas send fake signals to our body’s hormones, making it think we have more calories than we actually do.
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Aspartame Does Not Help With Weight Loss
Dr. Hodin and team found that IAP activity was reduced when it was added to a drink containing aspartame, but IAP levels remained the same when IAP was added to a drink containing sugar.
Researchers injected aspartame into the mices small intestines, where IAP is normally produced. They found this reduced IAP levels.
Researchers also injected saline solution in bowel segments, but IAP activity remained the same.
At the end of the 18-week period, there was no significant difference between the weights of the two groups that were fed a regular diet.
However, mice on a high-fat diet that received aspartame gained more weight than mice that did not receive aspartame.
Mice that received the sweetener also had higher blood sugar than those without aspartame.
They also had higher levels of the TNF-alpha inflammatory protein in their blood, which is usually associated with metabolic syndrome.
Sugar substitutes like aspartame are designed to promote weight loss and decrease the incidence of metabolic syndrome, but a number of clinical and epidemiologic studies have suggested that these products dont work very well and may actually make things worse, says Dr. Hodin.
Inside the human body, aspartame is metabolized and broken down into phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol. Phenylalanine and aspartic acid are amino acids that are naturally present in many protein-containing foods.
However, phenylalanine inhibits the production of IAP.
Zero Weight Loss From Zero Calorie Drinks Say It Aint So
- By Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
Are you trying to cut back on calories by making the switch from regular soda to diet soda? Do you prefer carbonated water with a bit of flavor, such as Hint or LaCroix? Or maybe youve purchased a carbonating device like SodaStream or Drinkmate?
Research suggests that none of these choices may actually help with weight loss. Worse, they might even lead to weight gain! The reason might surprise you. It sure surprised me.
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Diet Soda And Weight Gain What Is The Real Connection
Disclaimer: Elise Ho, aka Dr. Ho is a Holistic Health & Life Coach. Dr. Ho is NOT a medical doctor, licensed therapist, lawyer, or a bevy of other things. Products or services that Dr. Ho believes in are the only ones that she recommends. Dr. Ho may receive compensation, product, or an affiliate commission on anything you see on this site. This is a personal Website solely reflecting Dr. Hos personal opinions. Statements on this site do not represent the views or policies of any organization with which I may be affiliated.
I Ve Never Seen A Skinny Person Drink Diet Coke
Diet soda has been linked to the development of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, even though it has no calories, sugar, or fat. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that just one serving of an artificially sweetened drink per day was associated with an 8% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
, the trade group for the soda industry, has long argued that sugar-sweetened beverages are a healthy alternative to sugary beverages. ABA has spent millions of dollars to promote the health benefits of diet sodas, including a $1.5 million ad campaign in 2012 that claimed diet drinks are the healthiest choice for people who are trying to lose weight.
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The Connection Between Diet Soda And Appetite
Research also suggests that diet soda can lead to an increase in appetite. One recent study shows that women who drank diet soda ate more compared to women who drank sugary drinks.
If youre truly craving a regular soda and swap it for diet, it may not satisfy you, says Burgess. When we arent satisfied, we may end up with a larger appetite and potentially overeat. If you are craving a soda every so often, it may be helpful to truly savor it, let it satisfy your craving, and move on.
Its also important to pay attention to what we are putting in our bodies beyond just beverages. Eating a balanced diet consisting of lean protein, colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats plays a key role in our health goals, Burgess adds.
Gut Health Diet Soda And Weight Gain
One of the possible reasons that diet soda affects insulin is because artificial sweeteners disrupt our microbiome. In other words it messes up our gut health and the bacteria thats in it.
The bacteria in our gut are with us from the day were born and are always changing. One thing that affects our gut bacteria is the foods we eat and the beverages we drink. Stress and other lifestyle factors can also affect our gut bacteria.
Well always have some bad bacteria running around our gut, but the hope is that we have enough good bacteria to offset the bad stuff. Too much bad bacteria in our gut doesnt just affect how well we go to the bathroom, but it also affects our immune system, mood and most definitely weight.
Because so much is happening related to the research around gut bacteria, its no surprise that a number of recent studies have been done showing that artificial sweeteners throw off the delicate balance of good to bad bacteria increasing weight, promoting insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.
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Switch To A Different Fizzy Beverage
If youre experiencing undesirable effects after drinking artificially sweetened beverages, you might try decreasing your diet soda intake or consider swapping altogether for a different fizzy drink. Burgess recommends Richards Rainwater sparkling water and infusing it with fresh fruit, mint and lemon slices to add more flavor.
If you wish to cut diet soda from your meal plan, you can enjoy carbonated water with a splash of 100 percent juice for flavor. Commercial flavored seltzers like La Croix are options as well that are free of artificial sweeteners, Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDCES, New Jersey-based dietitian and author of Belly Fat Diet For Dummies, explains.
You can also try an option such as Ollipop which contains significantly less added sugar than regular soda along with beneficial prebiotics that can improve gut health which in turn can help reduce inflammation and belly fat.
Diet Soda: Good Or Bad
Diet sodas are popular beverages all over the world, especially among people who want to reduce their sugar or calorie intake.
Instead of sugar, artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, cyclamates, saccharin, acesulfame-k, or sucralose, are used to sweeten them.
Almost every popular sugar-sweetened beverage on the market has a light or a diet version Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Pepsi Max, Sprite Zero, etc.
Diet sodas were first introduced in the 1950s for people with diabetes, though they were later marketed to people trying to control their weight or reduce their sugar intake.
Despite being free of sugar and calories, the health effects of diet drinks and artificial sweeteners are controversial.
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Turns Out Diet Soda May Actually Make You Gain Weight
If you’re one of the 40% of people who’ve been substituting sweeteners for sugarspecifically, drinking diet soda instead of regularnew brain science reveals this could be producing the exact opposite effect from what you want. A riveting recent study has identified a link between diet soda and calorie intake and the scientific explanation is likely to make you think.
Keep reading to learn about this study that focused on diet soda and weight gain, recently published in the journal of Nutrition, Obesity, and Exercise.
Does Diet Soda Cause Bloating & Water Weight Gain
While not life-threatening, bloating is often uncomfortable — and even painful — and water retention can compound the situation, making you feel worse. If you suspect your habit of drinking diet soda is the potential cause of your bloating and water retention, you may be on to something. Try removing diet soda from your meal plan for a week or two to see if you find relief from your symptoms. Either way, if you’re a regular diet soda drinker, it’s a good idea to replace soda with healthier beverages, because it may have other undesirable side effects.
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