When I tell people that I've switched to diet sodas (and very nearly quit drinking sodas altogether), they often ask me why. I've decided to put a page on my site to answer their question as thoroughly as I can.
When Harvard Hospital recently debunked a study linking aspartame and cancer, they reinforced my own personal belief that diet drinks containing artificial sugars are not just safe, they're far better for our bodies than non-diet sodas.
The driving force behind my reconsideration of my twelve-pack a day soda habit was an alarming call from my doctor saying that a routine blood test I'd had returned numbers that indicated I was pre-diabetic. Specifically, my blood-glucose level was 120 milligrams per decaLiter, which the American Diabetic Association (and my doctor) says made me just this side of diabetic.
Determined to get my blood sugar back within the normal range (for my body type, that's somewhere around a consistent reading of 90 mg/dL) I looked to the main source of sugar in my diet. I'm not a chocolate-junkie, I don't eat much candy, and I figured my apple-a-day wasn't giving me so much fructose that I'd test as pre-diabetic. That's why I switched to diet soda.
Five Scary Things About Sugary Sodas
These five facts are, ultimately, the reasons why I switched from regular to diet soda. I got so much out of the experience, that I've almost eliminated soda completely from my diet. Maybe sometime in 2013 I'll finally be off of sodas forever, but I do admit I enjoy a cold fizzy beverage first thing in the morning more than a cup of coffee.
Here are five facts about drinking high-sugar beverages, backed up with a link to a reliable source on the subject.
1. Increased Body Fat (In Weird Places)
Researchers in Denmark have shown a clear correlation between drinking non-diet soda and gaining body fat in parts of the body where you really don't want it. Specifically, around your liver and skeletal muscles, increasing you chance of developing diabetes and other complications.
2. Extreme Increases in Waist Size (Soda-Belly)
We've all heard of beer guts, but what about soda guys? Scientists at the University of Texas found that people who drink non-diet soda typically grow 70% around the waist over the course of ten years of regular soda consumption.
3. Caramel Food Coloring Shown to Be Carcinogenic
When big-name soda manufacturers start making changes to their recipes, we should really pay attention. The FDA is currently looking into the carcinogenic qualities of caramel food coloring commonly used to give sodas their color. This includes diet sodas, by the way, another reason to consider cutting them out completely.
4. Phosphoric Acid Accelerates the Aging Process
No matter if you're male or female, no one wants to look older than they are. In large amounts, phosphoric acid used in sodas (both diet and regular) for their tangy flavor and an increase in shelf life has been shown to trigger and accelerate the aging process.
5. Some Sodas Contain Dangerous Industrial-Grade Flame-Retardant Chemicals
To me, the scariest thing I learned about non-diet sodas is the fact that some contain a chemical used as a flame retardant in industrial settings. In large amounts, these chemicals can cause memory loss, nerve damage, and may even contribute to the early onset of dementia.
