talk to me about diet coke

julesGA
on 6/1/12 12:11 am, edited 6/1/12 12:14 am - Brunswick, GA
On the one hand I hear we shouldn't drink diet coke because it can stretch our stomachs. On the other I hear it does no such thing.

The other argument against diet coke is that it has artificial sweeteners.   Okay, I can buy that...but aren't Crystal Light, diet Snapple, even protein drinks full of artificial sweeteners?  What about the Torani syrups so many of us use?   

So, what is the *real* reason for avoiding diet coke?   I am at a loss.  

Disclaimer: I am a Southerner and every type of carbonated soft drink is "coke" to us.  Feel free to insert the brand name of your choice.  ;) 




   
             
Dawnie 88
on 6/1/12 12:19 am
I have to say the reason to avoid it is because it doesn't offer any nutritional value.  I can say most definitely that it does NOT stretch your stomach.  I have been drinking regular Pepsi for over a year now..daily..and my restriction is still the same as 8 mths postop.  For dinner last night I ate 2-1/2 meatballs..that was my dinner and I was full and satisfied.  I can still only eat 2 to 2.5 oz of dense protein at over 2 yrs out.  Wish i had never started with pop again..so if you haven't already..DON'T!!  I could easily have lost more weight had i not picked up this habit again..(i am maintaining..but i could be losing).

 

        
tripmom02
on 6/1/12 12:19 am - NJ
 The real reason is that it will most likely make you feel like crap. We went on a picnic with the Scouts last weekend and the only thing they brought to drink was soda and I forgot to bring my water bottle, so I grabbed a sip of DH's and man did I regret it fast. The carbonation made me feel like I wanted to explode, there was just not enough room in my tiny tummy for all those bubbles! 

Courtney - Lap band to VSG revision
      

    
doggz109
on 6/1/12 12:26 am - CA
VSG on 01/12/12
The carbonation will NOT feel good.  It is acidic and not good for you.  I'm fairly certain that my diet soda addiction was responsible for me getting gout at the age of 27.
rhearob
on 6/1/12 12:39 am - TN
 There are a few issues with carbonated beverages I have heard.  THe big restriction is during healing - thats where the expanding gas can do real damage.  The acidity does not help the healing process either.

After healing what the carbonation can do is basically just cause you a lot of discomfort.  You don't have a big inflatable ballon for it to fill up like you used to.If you are a sipper, it would most likely not be an issue.  For a gulper - well not a pretty picture.

The big thing is that the combination of the varbonation and the formulation tend to be hunger increasers.  The expanding and contracting of your stomach from the carbonation tend to make your stomach think its empty and needs input.  There are a lot of conflicting reports about whether or not aspartame increases cravings in people - its likely to be a very individual response.

Your Nut may be able to give you a better answer.  As for me - I was able to kick my soda habit during the liquid only phases and have no intention of picking it back up.  In 2001 when I was first diagnosed with with Diabetes I was able to lose 80 lbs or so on my own.  I had also kicked the soda habit then.  In 2004 I started drinking Diet Coke instead of water.  That was pretty much the beginning of my slide back into bad behavior and weight gain.  Those 80 lbs came back with many friends.

For me, I intend to stay off of them this time.

_____________________________________________________________________
 160 lbs lost. Surgeons Goal Reached in 33 weeks.  My Goal in 37 Weeks.

VSG: 11/2/2011; LBL+Thigh Lift+BL: 10/3/2012; Brach+Mastopexy:  7/22/2013

ERnurseMN
on 6/1/12 12:56 am - MN
I was just telling my husband last night that I would really love a Diet Coke with Lime. That was my big addiction (among sugar and carbs)and NEVER thought I would get myself off of it. I cut down to 1-2 cans per day before surgery and the day after surgery had the WORST headache I am sure to caffeine withdrawal. The reason I am explaining this it that I am off of it and do not want to get back on it. It has no nutritional value, it is bad for your teeth and the carbonation is horrible for your bones. Nuff said!
        
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SuzanneR
on 6/1/12 1:12 am - Randolph, NJ

Diet Soda Linked To Weight Gain

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Diet soda might not help you stay trim after all, new research suggests.

A study presented at a American Diabetes Association meeting this week shows that drinking diet soda is associated with a wider waist in humans. And a second study shows that aspartame -- an artificial sweetener in diet soda -- actually raises blood sugar in mice prone to diabetes.

"Data from this and other prospective studies suggest that the promotion of diet sodas and artificial sweeteners as healthy alternatives may be ill-advised," study researcher Helen P. Hazuda, Ph.D., a professor and chief of clinical epidemiology at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio's School of Medicine, said in a statement. "They may be free of calories but not of consequences."

In the first study, researchers collected height, weight, waist circumference and diet soda intake data from 474 elderly people who participated in the San Antonio Longitudinal Study of Aging. They were followed up an average of 9.5 years later, according to the research.

Researchers found that the diet soda drinkers had waist circumference increases of 70 percent greater than those who non-diet soda drinkers. And people who drank diet soda the most frequently -- at least two diet sodas a day -- had waist circumference increases that were 500 percent greater than people who didn't drink any diet soda, the study said.

Artificial sugar didn't produce any better results in the second study in mice. Researchers for this study found that diabetes-prone mice that were fed a diet that included aspartame for three months, had higher blood glucose levels than mice not given aspartame.

This isn't the first news illuminating diet soda's health risks. A study published earlier this year found people who drink the beverage every day have a higher stroke and heart attack risks. And UK researchers found earlier this month that sugary drinks can dull taste buds, leading consumers to crave the sweet stuff even more.

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SuzanneR
on 6/1/12 1:14 am - Randolph, NJ

Disease Proof

Posted at 9:07 AM on April 24, 2012 by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Diet soda depletes calcium and may increase heart attack risk

Diet soda. Flickr: Dawn Huczek

The average American drinks 216 liters of soda each year.1 Soda drinking has previously been associated with lower bone mineral density in women and children,2,3 and one study in particular has focused specifically on the effects of diet soda on bone health.  The authors commented that this research was sparked by the observation that diet soda drinking behaviors are often different than regular soda drinking behaviors – women often use diet sodas in an effort to avoid weight gain – either to stave off hunger between meals or as a replacement for calorie-containing beverages.  Many women drink over 20 diet sodas per week.4

These researchers discovered that parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations rise strongly following diet soda consumption.  PTH functions to increase blood calcium concentrations by stimulating bone breakdown, and as a result release calcium from bone.

In the study, women aged 18-40 were given 24 ounces of either diet cola or water on two consecutive days, and urinary calcium content was measured for three hours. 

Women who drank diet cola excreted more calcium in their urine compared to women who drank water.  

The authors concluded that this calcium loss may underlie the observed connection between soda drinking and low bone mineral density.5

Although caffeine is known to increase calcium excretion and promote bone loss,6 caffeine is likely not the only bone-harming ingredient in sodas.  A 2006 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found consistent associations between low bone mineral density and caffeinated and non-caffeinated cola (both regular and diet), but not other carbonated beverages.7 One major difference between the two is the phosphoric acid in colas, absent from most other carbonated beverages. 

In the Western diet, phosphorus is commonly consumed in excess – at about 3 times the recommended levels, whereas dietary calcium often low.  Although phosphorus is an important component of bone mineral, a high dietary ratio of phosphorus to calcium can increase parathyroid hormone secretion, which is known to increase bone breakdown.   Studies in which women were given increasing quantities of dietary phosphorus found increases in markers of bone breakdown and decreases in markers of bone formation.8,9 Therefore it is likely that the phosphorus content of colas  triggers calcium loss.

There is nothing healthy about diet soda.  It is simply water with artificial sweeteners and other chemical additives, such as phosphoric acid. 

The safety of artificial sweeteners is questionable, and they provoke the release of insulin and other hormones that regulate blood glucose; their intense sweetness confuses the body, which naturally associates sweet taste with calories – over time, these mixed signals can lead to increased appetite and weight gain.10 

Diet sodas don’t just weaken our bones, they are linked to kidney dysfunction and promote obesity.

Furthermore, in a recent study, older adults who drank diet soda daily had a 43% increased risk of heart attack or stroke compared to those that never drank diet soda.11

 

References:

1. Nation Master.  Statistics: soft drinks. http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/foo_sof_dri_con-food-soft-drink-consumption

2. McGartland C, Robson PJ, Murray L, et al. Carbonated soft drink consumption and bone mineral density in adolescence: the Northern Ireland Young Hearts project. J Bone Miner Res. 2003 Sep;18(9):1563-9.

Mahmood M, Saleh A, Al-Alawi F, Ahmed F. Health effects of soda drinking in adolescent girls in the United Arab Emirates. J Crit Care. 2008 Sep;23(3):434-40.

3. Tucker KL, Morita K, Qiao N, Hannan MT, Cupples LA, Kiel DP. Colas, but not other carbonated beverages, are associated with low bone mineral density in older women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Oct;84(4):936-42

4. Frieden J. ENDO: Diet Soft Drinks Deplete Urinary Calcium. Medpage Today. http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ENDO/20831

5. NS Larson, et al "Effect of Diet Cola on urine calcium excretion" ENDO 2010; Abstract P2-198.

http://www.endojournals.org/abstracts/P2-1_to_P2-500.pdf

6. Vondracek SF, Hansen LB, McDermott MT. Osteoporosis risk in premenopausal women. Pharmacotherapy. 2009 Mar;29(3):305-17.

Massey LK, Whiting SJ. Caffeine, urinary cal- cium, calcium metabolism and bone. J. Nutr. 19923 Sep;123 (9): 1611-14

7. Tucker KL, Morita K, Qiao N, et al. Colas, but not other carbonated beverages, are associated with low bone mineral density in older women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Oct;84(4):936-42.

8. Kemi VE, Kärkkäinen MU, Karp HJ, et al. Increased calcium intake does not completely counteract the effects of increased phosphorus intake on bone: an acute dose-response study in healthy females. Br J Nutr. 2008 Apr;99(4):832-9.

9. Kemi VE, Kärkkäinen MU, Lamberg-Allardt CJ. High phosphorus intakes acutely and negatively affect Ca and bone metabolism in a dose-dependent manner in healthy young females. Br J Nutr. 2006 Sep;96(3):545-52.

10. Swithers SE, Martin AA, Davidson TL. High-intensity sweeteners and energy balance. Physiol Behav. 2010 Apr 26;100(1):55-62.

Ma J, Bellon M, Wishart JM, et al. Effect of the artificial sweetener, sucralose, on gastric emptying and incretin hormone release in healthy subjects. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2009 Apr;296(4):G735-9.

Liang Y, Steinbach G, Maier V, Pfeiffer EF. The effect of artificial sweetener on insulin secretion. 1. The effect of acesulfame K on insulin secretion in the rat (studies in vivo). Horm Metab Res. 1987 Jun;19(6):233-8.

11. Gardener H, Rundek T, Markert M, et al. Diet Soft Drink Consumption is Associated with an Increased Risk of Vascular Events in the Northern Manhattan Study. J Gen Intern Med. 2012 Jan 27. [Epub ahead of print]

 

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Comments (11) Read through and enter the discussion with the form at the end mike rubino - April 24, 2012 10:29 AM

America's love affair with junk food is never ending .

jon schneider - April 24, 2012 11:32 AM

Would carbonated drinks such as Perrier and Pellegrino do the same damage as diet sodas?

Jean Myers - April 24, 2012 12:25 PM

What about home-made carbonated water, such as the Soda Stream? I like to drink fizzy water with a little pomegranate juice just to color it, but I wonder if there are any issues for bones with that. Thanks!

mgm - April 24, 2012 1:29 PM

The women where I work drink this stuff like an alcoholic sailor on leave - every single day. They have their own little refrigerator in their wing of the building for nothing but sodas - mostly diet colas. The sad thing is - they have all heard this information, and they just don't care. It's that incomphrensible logic of your average teenager who plays with fireworks - 'it won't happen to me'. Next thing he knows he's in an emergency room with three missing fingers. Our bodies are so wonderfully forgiving in the short term, then you're 60, fall and break a hip, and wish you hadn't had all those sodas. It's so frustrating to watch these beautiful, otherwise smart women turn their bones to chalk. I have about three sips off a soda about twice a month, and throw the rest away. It's the smallest of treats. These women drink gallons. It seems to really be the downfall of the office worker - diet sodas are a cornerstone of that culture.

Laura Prestien - April 24, 2012 2:57 PM

It's also because soda (in addition to coffee, animal products, and salt) makes your blood acidic. Your body leaches calcium from your bones in an effort to alkalize your blood and restore blood pH. People who consume these food in excess are mineral deficient and their blood acidity increases their risk of developing cancer. The answer is to minimize your intake of acidic foods; increase your intake of alkaline foods (like dark green veggies, lemons, limes) and take an absorbable mineral supplement.

kat - April 24, 2012 3:04 PM

What about zevia, a soda made with natural stevia.

Diane Shirley - April 24, 2012 7:59 PM

I love your eating plan on Eat to Live. Eventhough I might cheat a little, eating 16oz of raw and cooked vegetables and staying away from processed foods like wheat helps me. I agree on not drinking diet sodas and avoiding artifical sweeteners too for most of the time I noticed they increased my appetite.

Nancy Taylor - April 25, 2012 1:21 AM

I used to drink diet soda in the amounts you are describing. I also have hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcemia (one of these is termed "secondary" -- can't recall which. I also have RA and have been taking low dose prednisone on and off for the last year. Now I am getting repeated stress fractures in my left foot -- three in the last two years. I have changed my diet some--no processed food, no red meat, increased fruit, veggies and nuts/seeds/beans to the tune of about 8-10 servings a day. Is the bone loss you are describing to be secondary to excessive diet coke use reversible? Until now, I have thought that the low does prednisone may be causing the loss of bone integrity. I am scheduled for a bone density test but no actual data yet...just a foot that appears to be on the verge of fracturing again. I stave it off by wearing a surgical boot and taking 2000 mg of Vit D daily.

Suzy - April 25, 2012 9:17 AM

Excellent article! I wish this message would get out to everyone. I have tried to tell my grown kids about drinking soda, particularly diet soda, but they aren't listening! The stuff is just too addictive, and in the case of diet soda, they think it is a "free" beverage. (i.e. no calories)

I wondered also about sparkling mineral waters. Any research on those?

Deana Ferreri, Ph.D. - April 25, 2012 9:25 AM

Carbonated waters without additives and artificial sweeteners are not likely to be harmful. Stevia leaf, although it is likely safer than other artificial sweeteners still has the action of delivering sweet taste without calories, which can disrupt the body's appetite signals.

Esther - April 26, 2012 1:43 PM

mgm said: "The women where I work drink this stuff like an alcoholic sailor on leave - every single day. They have their own little refrigerator in their wing of the building for nothing but sodas - mostly diet colas."

YES! As I former teacher, I have seen this kind of thing firsthand. Many of my colleagues lived and breathed on diet (mostly caffeinated) colas, with their classroom mini-fridges stocked full of them. Like your experience, although they were well aware of the consequences, many of them had resigned themselves to their "addiction" (claiming it's a relatively "safe" one to have).

Thankfully, I never developed a taste for them, diet or regular. Now, coffee did become my drug of choice back then (1-2 cups/day), but since then, I've given it up entirely.

Dr. Fuhrman's Executive Offices 4 Walter E. Foran Blvd.
Suite 408 Flemington, NJ 08822
        
AngieB2011
on 6/1/12 1:15 am - MD
VSG on 03/19/12

All I can say is that diet sodas are nothing but sodium, caffine and a bunch of artificial ingredients. Sodium causes the body to retain water. Retained water makes you weigh more.

julesGA
on 6/1/12 3:01 am - Brunswick, GA
Thanks for all of the responses,, they were interesting to read.     I will confess I was playing devil's advocate a bit.  I don't really want to start drinking them again but I did want a *reason* not to drink them I don't know if that makes sense to y'all but it is something that helps me deal. 

Some of the reasons given as to why we shouldn't drink them are ones I have a hard time computing, i.e.. they have no nutritional value.  Well, neither does Mio but I see that product being positively commented on all of the time.   Likewise with the bubbles not feeling good. That must not be a universal issue since we know there are people here who drink cokes. 


The observations on bone loss make a lot of sense.  Good to know. 

Thanks  for offering your comments. It was interesting and informative. 







   
             
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