What's the deal with Coke zero and Pepsi one?

Question

How is it that they still taste pretty much the same as regular coke/pepsi, as opposed to "diet"? Are they actually not bad for you? My inclination is to assume that there's always a catch or that it's too good to be true. Anyone know?

Sounds like it's not as great as it sounds. Interestingly enough, I had a regular Pepsi when I was in Europe a couple years ago and it tasted pretty much the same as one here. I found out that it has literally 1/2 the sugar and much fewer calories. The companies do this on purpose, I guess, b/c they figure that Americans are all fat and lazy with sweet tooths. Thanks for the explanation. I figured there was some sugar substitute in Pepsi One, but wanted to be sure.

Answer 1

Both Coke Zero and Pepsi One contain aspartame. Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names, NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965, when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company was testing an anti-ulcer drug. Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26, 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr John W. Olney and Consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974 as well as investigations of G.D. Searle's research practices caused the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (December 5, 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D. Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and The NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.

Aspartame is, by far, the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods. Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death as recently disclosed in a February 1994 Department of Health and Human Services report.(1) A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.

According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame:(2)
Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.

Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: Aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The book, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, by James and Phyllis Balch, lists aspartame under the category of "chemical poison."

Answer 2

They stil taste like diet Cola albeit slight different from the Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi.

They have used a combination of Ace-K (Splenda) and Aspartame for sweetener.

Just more marketing and artificial sweetener changes for those who don't want the calories.

Go for the real thing - Coke or Pepsi. If you don't want the sugar or calories, then just drink less and exercise more!

Have a Coke and a Smile or Joy of Cola with Pepsi!

Answer 3

Well the drink itself isn't going to make you lose weight. And theoretically the calorie-free artificial sweeteners will make you crave sugar because your body is left thinking it was getting calories when it wasn't... but I've never experienced that personally. Diet soda could help you lose weight if you drink it when you feel like snacking but aren't really hungry. That way your daily calorie intake could be lower, causing you to lose weight. Try to drink less though, the less artificial stuff in your body the better. I know a diet soda can be great sometimes though!

Answer 4

They taste the same because they are the same, minus a few calories. People tend to be superfical these days and buy anything diet. They (the soda people) ration the sugar a bit and BAM! They get a new line of sodas and even more money flowing in.

Answer 5

None of these drinks are "good" for you, not just because of the sweetener, but because of the phosphorus content. Phosphorus affects your bones and makes them weak. As far as the sweetener is concerned, I believe they're sweetened with Splenda, and Splenda doesn't have the chemical aftertaste like aspartame. I personally can't stand Splenda because it's too sweet.

Answer 6

it is pretty much a marketing stunt implying that both coke zero and pepsi one taste as if they are regular, not diet.

Answer 7

They use aspartame instead of real sugar.

Answer 8

all i know is they use splenda and have no calories or something like that! i would drink that crap!