A Link Between Diet Soda and Gaining Weight
Back in 2005, some researchers discovered something interesting about those who drank diet soda. For every can or bottle of diet soft drink that was consumed, there was a 41% increase in the risk of becoming overweight.
“What didn’t surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity,” Fowler tells WebMD. “What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher.”
In fact, when the researchers took a closer look at their data, they found that nearly all the obesity risk from soft drinks came from diet sodas.
[Via Webmd.com]
Researchers theorized why the obesity risk increased and their theory makes sense with me. When you drink something sweet like a diet soda, you are not getting any calories from that drink. Your body thinks that it should be getting something from it. That creates cravings for more food and could lead to overindulgence.
In February 2008, another study came out. This time, it links saccharin to weight gain. Like the 2005 study, they concluded that there was something about diet soda that made people eat more but this study narrowed the reason down to artificial sweeteners.
As with many things, there is a warning about applying the findings of a study too broadly:
He [Adam Drewnowski] added: “We now have studies showing that sugar calories are associated with obesity and the absence of sugar is associated with obesity. Pity those people trying to do something about obesity.”
[Via LA Times]
For my soda consumption, I used to drink regular Mountain Dew. Then I switched to Diet Mountain Dew. Then I quit the soda, then started drinking it again, then quit again, and now I’m back drinking Diet Dew again. I’m a roller coaster pop drinker. The caffeine and the sweetness lure me back to it every time.
After reading these studies, I was reminded of a few things:
- Diet sodas, while calorie free for the most part, add artificial stuff to my body that it probably doesn’t need.
- I could drink regular soda but I’d be drinking calories that are not nutritious.
- Water is healthy for you, satisfies thirst and has zero calories.
In my mind, I know the benefits of drinking water. I’ve written about water before on here because it is a great thing to drink while dieting. But my addiction to sweet, caffeinated drinks is strong.
Starting tomorrow, I will work towards weaning myself off of the Diet Mountain Dew again. It will be healthier for me, and I’ll save some money too!
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Comments
I’ve just switched to regular soda in Jan. My weight (which was pretty near to all-time high) did not go up. In fact it is down slightly but only slightly despite my best efforts.
I’m a Weight Watcher so it just about kills me to spend points on beverages.
I’m in Europe now (I travel for a living) and it is a bit easier here because soda often comes in 8 oz containers. And in Scandinavia, price is another consideration. I’m in Oslo at the moment and it is $2.50 for a 1.5l bottle of water or $2.50 - $4 for a 500 ml bottle of coke at a grocery store. In restaurants it is $4 or more (although I’ve paid $1 for tap water as well.)
I’m glad I gave up the diet but I suspect my weight loss is going slower because of it.
Forgot to add - I don’t smell as much. Giving up aspartame is the only recent change in my diet and there is a remarkable reduction in body odor. I noticed this because I have to hand wash my clothes in a hotel sink and I’m able to wear many tops more than once, cutting down on my laundry.
Sherri - I grew up with a bottle of Tab in my hand. Sometime in high school I developed the sweet tooth for Mountain Dew. I don’t mind water, especially if it has ice in it. A weird thing about me is that I rarely drink anything while eating a meal. But, if we have ice water available I do drink that.
CanadianKate - That is interesting about body odor. I’ll have to ask my husband if he notices anything (my smell isn’t the best).
My childhood had one thing going for it in this sense, and one thing against. My mother never let us drink soda, so when I first tried soda in high school (yes I was in high school before I ever sipped a soda) it was DISGUSTING to me. So I’ve never had a glass of soda, diet or otherwise.
The thing against healthy drinking habits was the lack of water. My parents didn’t stress the importance of drinking water, and I can’t remember one meal where we were served or poured water for a beverage. It was always juice or soymilk or something else. Even after I started training for marathons (at age 19+) I didn’t drink water, I drank gatorade, etc. I would tell people “I don’t like water” and even the blasphemous “It doesn’t agree with me!” Whaaaaa? That was insane. My body was just not used to the “full” or sloshy feeling that can appear in your stomach when you drink a lot of water, and I didn’t like it. Well another few years later, I now drink only water most days. It took years to figure out how I could change my habits and what worked for me. When I was thirsty, I was just CONDITIONED to reach for juice and I wanted to fix that. Now when I am thirsty (like last night before I fell asleep) I crave water. It helped me, when starting on my reconditioning journey, to carry a reusable water bottle with me virtually everywhere. When I did get thirsty, I had a drink at arms length, and I also didn’t get AS thirsty, because I would intermittently take sips from the water bottle. If sitting at a desk for awhile, I would also have an icy cold glass of water next to me, since icy cold was more enticing.
Damn, my comments just keep getting longer and longer….