Is Diet Soda Healtheir Than Regular Soda?

There's so much bad press surrounding the consumption of regular soda because of the amount of calories, sugar and even high-fructose corn syrup.

And, often times we assume that diet soda is automatically the healthier alternative because it contains zero calories, has no sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.

Instead, manufacturers of diet sodas discovered how to create the sweetness of sugar by using artificial sweeteners like aspartame which has gotten a bad rap lately(I'll get to that in a minute).

But, does that mean that diet soda is really healthier than regular soda?

Let's take a closer look and find out.

You may have heard that aspartame causes all sorts of health problems. The interesting thing is that there is a condition known as phenylketonuria (PKU) that makes it impossible for the body to metabolize one of the amino acids in aspartame.

And, if someone with PKU were to consume aspartame they could suffer from some very serious health consequences.

But, not everybody has this condition.

Fitness expert Phil Kaplan wrote in an article: "To date over 100 million people are reported to use aspartame. The CDC estimates 15,000 people in the US have PKU.



It seems absurd to use such a small segment of the population to evidence supposed danger which has never been documented in conclusive research.



Sure, people with PKU should avoid aspartame, but they should also avoid milk and meats, two foods that contain more phenylalanine than diet cola. You don't see the same effort going into pressuring the FDA to make the sale of milk and meat illegal.



To further satisfy pressures without pulling this product from the market, the FDA required all products sweetened with aspartame to contain the words, "Phenylketonurics: Contains Phenylalanine."



"After several court visits, hearings, and reviews, the FDA reviewed data including clinical studies in which humans who received single doses of aspartame up to 200 mg/kg of body weight --



equal to consuming 70 cans of aspartame-sweetened soft drink in one sitting -- showed no ill effects whatsoever."



Case in point is that minimal doses of artificial sweeteners consumed every now and then are considered safe and should not pose any health risks.

However, depending on the type of sweetener used it is possible that some or all of it may not be absorbed by the body and can remain in the digestive tract where gastrointestinal problems can occur.

If you experience upset stomach, cramps, bloating or any other uncomfortable feelings after drinking diet soda (or consuming artificial sweeteners) you might want to eliminate artificial sweeteners from your diet (or at least the one you consumed).

Another interesting fact is that more regular diet soda drinkers trying to lose weight don't. In fact, research keeps showing that they gain weight.

It has been speculated that this can happen from cravings created by the artificial sweeteners that stimulate appetite, or simply because diet soda drinkers figure they can eat more food since they're drinking zero calorie soda, or many other reasons.

At this point, is pretty much all theory.

So, what's the deal with regular soda?

Regular sodas aren't very healthy at all because they are loaded with refined sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and empty calories that cause a rapid rise in blood glucose levels that makes your body release a high amount of insulin to metabolize the glucose.

What you get is a quick rush of energy (from the sugar) followed by a big crash (as the glucose is metabolized) leaving you feeling weak, tired, hungry and often leads to consuming too many calories.

This is one of the main reasons why regular soda drinkers have trouble losing weight.

And, if you drink these sodas frequently you're likely to experience chronically elevated blood glucose levels that can cause damage to your blood vessels, body fat/weight gain, increased risk for Type II Diabetes and also contribute to high blood pressure.

All of these can increase the risk for heart attack, stroke and/or various types of cancers.

So, which is healthier diet soda or regular soda?

Unfortunately, both have their 'dark sides' and it's important to weigh all the pros and cons and consider your current health status.

Now, I personally don't see any serious health threat from enjoying either type of soda once in a while. Problems occur more with frequent, heavy consumption.

There are still many questions that need to be answered but the bottom line is that drinking a diet soda here and there does not pose any serious health risks in apparently healthy individuals.

You can read the entire Phil Kaplan article using the source link below:

Source: http://philkaplan.com/thefitnesstruth/artificial_sweeteners.htm