Is Diet Soda Good For Weight Loss?

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Some individuals tend to correlate diet soda and weight loss. In other words, they believe that switching to this seemingly healthier alternative represents a sure-fire way to reduce their body mass index (BMI) without sacrificing taste or an existing habit.

However, is diet soda good for you or might it be masking equally potent risks? What does soda do to your body when consumed in large quantities? If you are hoping to achieve your weight loss goals, these and similar questions should be addressed in greater detail. Let’s take a closer look.

Is drinking diet soda good for you?

The majority of sodas are actually a concoction of multiple ingredients; most of these being rather unhealthy for the body. This is particularly the case in reference to the sheer amount of sugar that is contained within many popular brands. For example, did you know that one cup of soda may contain up to 49 grams of sugar? This is obviously less than ideal for those who are trying to lose weight. Thus, they primarily turn to diet soda for health reasons.

The problem here is that diet soda and weight loss hardly enjoy a hand-in-hand relationship. While often billed as “healthier” alternatives in terms of caloric intake, the fact of the matter is that diet beverages post a host of risks of their own. What do consumers need to know? This question leads us directly into the next main section.

Diet Soda Health Risks

Health risks of of diet soda

When I was a teenager, I remember my weight-conscious aunt ordering a burger and fries with a diet soda to drink. She winked at me and said, “Every little bit helps.” Makes sense. A can of regular Coke has 138 calories. Why not save those 138 calories by drinking a calorie-free beverage choice?

In fact, as much as the opposite seems true, when you’re trying to lose weight, diet soda is an excellent habit to break. Why? Here are main reasons:

Deterioration of tooth enamel

A common fallacy involves the belief that diet soda does not lead to tooth loss due to a lack of sugar. Diet soda sweeteners are instead believed to represent ora-friendly alternatives. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. To reinforce this statement, it is crucial to ask a single question. What is soda?

Flavorings and colourings aside, soda is essentially a type of carbonated water. Soda therefore contains a substance known as carbonic acid. As the name may suggest, this acid can wreak havoc upon the enamel of your teeth over time; particularly if you happen to consume diet soda in large quantities. You might therefore be returning to the dentist much more often than would otherwise be needed.

Insulin resistance

To your body’s chemistry, artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose might as well be sugar. They trigger your body into producing insulin just like sugar does. Too much insulin leads to insulin resistance which is arguably the number one hormonal problem that keeps people from losing weight.

Soda For Health

Digestive issues

While it is indeed true that most diet sodas do not contain any sugar, there are other hazards to consider. For example, one study found that the artificial sweetener saccharin may negatively impact the “good” bacteria that are found within our intestines. This can lead to possible digestive issues such as bloating, cramping and the inability to absorb vital nutrients.

Type 2 diabetes or osteoporosis

There are also some long-term diet soda health risks to note. There are studies in the scientific literature linking soda drinking to heart problems, depression, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes and more. Not all of the research is totally conclusive, but there is enough scientific evidence to suspect that diet soda is not the best, most obvious beverage choice that many dieters assume it is.

Other research has indicated that consuming large quantities of diet soda may lead to decreased bone density over time. Some scientists suggest that this is due to the large amounts of phosphorus contained within many soft drinks.

Headache

The sweeteners in diet soda can cause headaches, often of the intense migraine variety. This is especially true of the artificial sweetener known as aspartame, sold in the US under the brand name NutraSweet.

Sleep problems

Finally, we need to remember that many diet sodas contain large amounts of caffeine. This could pose an issue for those who already have trouble sleeping and it may even lead to insomnia. As a result, individuals will feel exhausted throughout the day and be less likely to perform physical activities such as exercising.

Like my aunt, you may reason that you skipped 138 calories because you had a diet soda, so you can eat more. Logically, you know that a diet soda is not the way to make up for a second helping of dinner or dessert. But the mind plays tricks on each of us.

Soda vs Water

Water, the best alternative to diet soda with your Spatz3

We can now see that drinking diet soda for weight loss purposes is hardly the best option at your disposal. Are There Any Alternatives to Drinking Diet Soda? What about diet soda vs water?

If you’re looking for a non-calorie beverage that has none of the side effects of diet soda, water is definitely the way to go. Instead of compromising your health and weight loss efforts, every bit of water you drink will help them along. And if it’s the bubbles you miss, try replacing your diet soda habit with sparkling water.

In this case, hydration trumps flavor on all fronts. Not only does your body require sufficient amounts of water each day in order to carry out vital metabolic processes, but water is linked with the sensation of satiety. In other words, you will feel fuller for longer periods of time. Water also helps to cleanse the body of toxins and provides you with a vibrant appearance.

Those who have recently been fitted with a Spatz3 adjustable gastric balloon should therefore make it a point to avoid these beverages whenever possible. Although they are frequently marketed as “healthier” alternatives, this is far from reality in terms of diet soda and weight loss. Not only will you feel better drinking ample amounts of water, but your body will function at much more efficient levels!

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