Is diet soda bad for children? If so, why? Is it worse than regular soda?

Answer 1

The worst thing about soda is the carbonation. It literally eats away at the enamel of your teeth. The carbonation is much worse than the sugar. On top of this, if you give a child diet soda, you are giving them a chemically altered sugar. Mmmmmm yummy. Just what I'd always hoped to give my child... chemically altered sugar suspended in an enamel eating substance. What more could a parent ask for? By the way, many fruit juices also eat the enamel off your teeth, especially if it is 100% fruit juice. Just give the kid water or milk or juice diluted with water. It's much healthier.

Answer 2

I don't think any sodas should be a part of a child's diet. The regular kind has too much sugar and nothing nutritious about it, and the diet stuff has the artificial sweeteners (ugh!). Giving a kid soda to drink takes away his appetite and desire for milk, fruit juice and other nutritious foods. I personally wouldn't use diet soda in my gas tank or use it wash floors. Just my personal prejudice......

Answer 3

well Diet soda in general, not just for children, could be not so healthy if consumed in considerable amounts since it has Aspartame as sugar substitute, which according to many sources could cause cancer, emotional problems, etc.
Regular Soda on the other hand has sugar and carbs and too much of it is not good since it makes ur glucemic index skyrocket and drop abruptly.
Now children should be drinking water, milk and juice instead lol.

Answer 4

yes, diet and reg soda is bad for children and adults too. Diet soda has artificial sweetners and they are bad for kids so diet would be worse than regular. kids and adults should really not drink any sodas at all. diet or regular

Answer 5

Why would you want to feed a child soda anyway?? There are way better things that you can give them, like 100% Fruit juice or WATER!

Water? god, that's a novel idea!!! wow.

Giving children soda is part of the problem that feeds the obesity epidemic. Can you say DIABETIC?

Answer 6

Both are bad for different reasons.

Imagine spooning 18 teaspoons of sugar from the sugar bowl into a big glass of club soda -- add a couple of drops of food coloring -- would you drink it?

Diet sodas may be better in terms of calories and added sugar, however, the problem of nutrition remains. If you’re substituting diet soda for milk and 100 percent fruit juice in a balanced diet, then your diet will be deficient in the important nutrients these foods provide, especially calcium and vitamins C and D.

If you’re worried about the health effects of artificial sweeteners in soda, the FDA has cleared the following for safety: acesulfame potassium, aspartame and saccharin, as well as sucralose. Some consumers are wary of these sweeteners, but there are no known health risks associated with moderate consumption, with one exception for aspartame and people with the rare genetic condition called phenylketonuria.

Other negatives associated with soda include:

Caffeine: Many sodas contain caffeine, colas and non-colas. Caffeine is not only addictive, but can cause adverse reactions such as insomnia, irritability and racing heartbeat. Research by Johns Hopkins University examining the difference in consumption of caffeinated versus non-caffeinated sodas show that consumption is driven by the "mood-altering and physical dependence of caffeine." To avoid "withdrawal" symptoms, similar to symptoms of excess, begin by tapering down slowly, and by replacing one of your regular, caffeinated sodas with a non-caffeinated soda every day for four days, then replace that non-caffeinated soda with an equal amount of clear, pure water. For variety, try sodium-free club soda, and add a squeeze of lime and/or lemon. Eventually, you'll wean yourself off the sugary stuff, and you'll feel so much better. Avoid the "added caffeine" drinks like Coca-Cola's Surge or Pepsi's Josta. Note that clear Mountain Dew contains 55 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce can; Sunkist has 40, Coke, 45, Pepsi, 37. Sprite is caffeine-free.

Tooth decay:
The link between sugary soda and cavities is well documented. There are acids in all sodas -- both colas and non-colas -- canned ice teas, and even diet drinks can weaken and erode tooth enamel. The malic, tartaric, citric and phosphoric acids that impart familiar flavors corrode the tooth's protective enamel coating and draw calcium out of tooth enamel. Sodas and flavored teas were tougher on enamel than plain brewed tea, coffee and root beer.

Osteoporosis:
Drinking soda can lead to excess consumption of phosphorus, which can lead to a depletion of bone calcium, especially worrisome to women. In a study of 460 high school girls, girls who drank the most soda had three to four times the risk of bone fracture compared to those who drank none. Physically active girls were at the higher end of the risk ratio. Women are more prone to osteoporosis and need calcium to build their bones, especially before age 25. They need to keep their bones strong after menopause, and soda displaces intake of calcium-rich milk and calcium-fortified milk substitutes... increasing the risk for broken bones

for the full article, see link below.

Answer 7

Soda is bad, period.

But... diet soda is actually worse.

Because the companies are trying to level out the taste AND include no calories and fat in their drink, they must add many chemicals and ingredients that may not all be good for your body.

Answer 8

i know that it's said drinking diet soda is bad in general, because you end up drinking more of that than you would have of normal soda, because in your mind you're saying it's ok to drink it since it's diet! but the net effect is you consume much more soda than you would have. guess that works for kids too.

Answer 9

Worse chemicals, and children don't need soda

Answer 10

no it's not that bad for children regular soda is worse it has more sugar and more carbs. It's bad fior them to drink one after another to because you can get a kidney infection so make sure they drink lots of water