Are diet fizzy drinks really that bad? It is said that they are because of artificial sweeteners - but what is the problem with this?
There are artificial sweeteners in so many daily things, just avoiding fizzy drinks because of it seems pointless.
If you look at fruit squash (no added sugar), it is practically the same as a diet fizzy drink as it also has artificial sweeteners, yet squash doesn’t have the same unhealthy connotation surrounding it.
Not asking for opinion on personal situation, asking for thoughts on artificial sweetners
There’s been some controversy around aspartame, which is a sweetener commonly found in diet sodas. In a nutshell, people speculated that aspartame led to certain cancers. This been debunked many times, because not only is it not a carcinogen, it’s not even a probable one. source
Some people claim that aspartame causes issues for them, for example, it’s been thought to be a migraine trigger for some people. Some people claim aspartame causes their children to act out. None of these things have been proven
Health wise, diet sodas aren’t great. They’re not the best way you hydrate you, and you don’t need it. But they’re not nearly as bad as some people claim. If you’re just trying to cut back on sugar, they’re fine.
As for the unhealthy connotation.. you would be correct. This is why we should not take health connotations as absolute fact - why would we demonize one item for having aspartame, but not another item with aspartame? Doesn’t make sense.
I have type II diabetes. My board-certified endocrinologist has told me diet sodas can sometimes lead to insulin resistance even though they have no sugar, and I have found since quitting diet sodas I have a much easier time maintaining a healthy blood glucose level and restricting my calories, leading to weight loss.
Make of that what you will. I drink kombucha now and though it has calories it doesn’t mess with my appetite or cause my blood sugar to spike.
About 15 years ago I did some study on aspartame for a college class. I only used peer reviewed information for my research. A group of Italian scientists ( I forget the leaders’ name now) conducted the most thorough experiment to date and it appears that there is a strong link between aspartame and cancer. There is a Safe Daily Intake of aspartame, but since it is in so many products you would have a hard time knowing how much you ingested on any given day.
I stay away from it.
Yes they are absolutely detrimental to health. Highly acidic drinks that contain nothing but artificial sugars and artificial colors. Obviously one every now and then won’t hurt you but I wouldn’t drink one everyday if you are looking to increase health and vitality. Research aspartame and the different artificial colors they put in those drinks. You will learn real quick all the negative effects these carcinogenic compounds have on the human body.