Blog of San Diego Personal Trainer Dave DePew

The Dangers of Diet Soda

Written by Dave DePew

Thursday, 19 November 2009 19:47

After hearning what I have to say you might want to take a pass on the diet soda.

More than a few of my clients working toward a goal of losing weight have been rabid consumers of diet soda (and I’m not talking about a single 12 ounce serving a day here). When asking them to consider giving up their daily carbonated fix of diet soda it often brings looks of horror and downright stubborn refusal.

“Why?” I am asked. “It has no calories or fat, so what’s the problem?” The problem I tell them is that while no major studies have come out and directly said that drinking diet soda is bad for you, a growing body of literature and experts (me included) are confirming that you will likely face a myriad of health concerns down the road. Many of which are quite serious.

According to a University of North Carolina study, Americans consume 192 gallons of liquid a year, or about 2 liters a day. Of that amount, about 53 gallons are carbonated soft drinks. Consuming that amount should set more than one alarm bell off, and rightly so, as more and more research is suggesting that consuming those diet-carbonated beverages may be significantly harming our health.

Here are just a few of the larger health concerns associated with drinking diet soda:

•   May speed up the decline of your kidneys. Recently, researchers at the American Society of Nephrology presented the results of a long-term study, which suggested that women who drank more than two diet sodas a day increased their risk two-fold of experiencing kidney function decline.

•   May lead to poor bone health and osteoporosis. All sodas-- diet and regular -- contain a flavor agent called phosphoric acid, which increases the acidity in blood. When the acidity levels in blood rise, the body moves to restore a natural balance. It does that by leeching calcium from the bones to neutralize the acid. While consuming three or more sodas a day can lead to significant bone-density loss in women, just one serving a day can even increase the loss of bone density.

•   May increase risk of developing metabolic syndrome. This syndrome refers to an assortment of risk factors that increase your chance of developing of such health problems as diabetes, stroke and heart disease. A Boston University study conducted in 2007, and another published in Circulation concluded that there was a 34 percent higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome among those who drank one can of diet soda a day compared to someone that did not.

•   May lead to other significant health problems. There are over 92 different side effects linked to the usage of aspartame on file with the FDA and Center for Disease Control. Side effects range from symptoms like headache, nausea and dizziness to skin lesions, memory loss and suicidal depression. Research on rodents has also found a link between consumption of large amounts of aspartame and brain tumors and lymphoma.

•   May lead to weight gain. Studies have found that consuming drinks flavored with artificial sweeteners may lead to an increase in food intake, especially sweet treats.   In studies on lab animals given saccharin-sweetened liquids, researchers found that the animals quickly learned that “sweet” equaled “no calories” and they started to overeat. Also of note, by consuming large amounts of diet soda, which has no nutritional value at all, individuals fail to consume much-needed healthy beverages, like water, that their body needs to function properly.

•   May lead to dental problems. Research has found that people who drink three or more sodas a day experience 62 percent more dental decay, fillings and tooth loss. Furthermore, the acid in the sodas, especial diet, effectively erode the enamel on teeth.

Clearly, the problems associated with diet sodas cannot be ignored. To do so, places not only your weight loss goals at risk, but your general health and well-being as well. If becoming healthy is your long-term goal, then take aggressive steps to curb the consumption of this unhealthy drink. Your body will definitely thank you!