Are there really any health benefits to drinking diet soda?

Question

It bugs me that people always insist on drinking diet soda, all the time, even if they don't need it! When I say, "If you want to stay healthy, just drink water. Diet soda is unhealthy," they reply, "Um, duh diet soda is healthy! Why do you think it's called DIET?!"
I know that water is a better beverage than diet soda. But are there really any health benefits to drinking diet soda, instead of regular?! Or is diet soda just disgusting toxic waste filled with artificial stuff?

Answer 1

The only benefits are to your teeth unless you are diabetic or otherwise sensitive to sugar.

It is called diet because most people cut back on calories while they are dieting. Dieting is probably the worst thing someone can do to themself. All they do is induce mild starvation, which increases fat storage and reduces metabolism (i.e. gain weight now, harder to lose later).

If I were you, I would cut out the soda (and any unnatural looking juices). They regular kind are essentially a liquid candy, something that should be enjoyed on occasion, not a staple. And I could not have described "diet" soda any better than you did.

Artificial sweeteners, like sugar, induce the glycemic response, the body's reaction to an expected "sugar rush". In other words it causes "sugar crashes" and the increased storage of fat. Adequate exercise counteracts this as the net calories do not increase, but combined with inactivity will cause weight gain.

In fact, most artificial sweeteners have more serious health risks.

Saccharin (pink) causes cancer in larger doses (not proven in humans).

Aspartame (blue) causes intense pain for those born with phenylketonuria (very rare...though I have met 2) and breaks down into several poisons, including formaldehyde.

Sucralose (yellow) actually has more calories than sugar, though the body cannot absorb it easily. If an intestinal bacteria ever figures out how to convert it to sugar...it will become the next aspartame.

Then there are sugar alcohols, for the most part they are natural extracts that do not have as many calories as sugar. I doubt there are serious health risks, but some are used as laxatives for a reason.

Answer 2

No health benefits what so ever in diet soda. It is just lower on calories, and has a artifitial sweetener. And some of the sweeteners out there cause cancer! Diet doesnt mean better. Water is the best thing for you. Some juice too.

Answer 3

As a matter of fact, they just had an episode all over the news a couple of weeks ago comparing regular and diet sodas and found that they are equally bad for you.
Ppl think they are justifying the soda drinking they crave by substituting it with diet sodas. Your right...their wrong.

Answer 4

Health benefits? Probably not but if you are diabetic like me and you like a soft drink, well a diet is all you can drink. It has nothing to do with a diet as we all are on a diet. That just kills people a different way than regular cola beverages,

Answer 5

Actually, there are many health risks to drinking Diet Soda.

The main one specifically is a chemical in the sweetener (phenalphaline) is a possible cause of the gulf war syndrome
as when the sweetener gets hot a chemical reaction takes place turning the drink into a chemical similar to formaldahyde. (Embalming Fluid - used to preserve dead bodies)

Answer 6

Diet soda is more healthy than drinking regular soda which is full of sugar. But drinking die soda in and of itself is not healthy at all- it's toxic and horrible. Read more:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/13/health/webmd/main701408.shtml

http://www.womentowomen.com/nutritionandweightloss/dietsoda.asp

Answer 7

Nope, no health benefits.

If you like to drink soda, find the cane sugar-sweetened or have carbonated fruit juice. They're not healthy at all, but they are certianly better than HFCS or aspartame/sucralose sodas.

Answer 8

Well, diet soda has less calories, but ever one should drink plenty of water ever day, but especially during hot weather.

Answer 9

I highly doubt that diet soda is even healthier than standard soda.

DIET, LIGHT, ZERO, are just marketing terms that companies feed us and we buy that. Maybe they are low on calories, but if people only consider preassumed calorie intake, remind them that most probably arsenic is 100% natural and low-fat.

Answer 10

Less sugar and sodium. But all sodas contain lectin which is a chemical that helps block the nuerons in your brain telling you that you are full. Thats why fastfood restraunts primarily sell soda.