I’ll admit – I used to be a diet soda drinker. Flavor, sweetness, bubbles and zero calories – what could be more perfect, right? Well, over the past several years, my thinking on diet drinks has taken a complete 180. In a nutshell, here’s why: artificial sweeteners may actually lead to weight gain, and carry health risks.
To “stay on top of my game” as a sports nutritionist, I spend a lot of time reading newly published studies, and the research about the cons of “fake sugars” is pretty compelling. A study in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience (published by the American Psychological Association) by scientists at Purdue University reported that rats fed yogurt sweetened with zero-calorie saccharin later consumed more calories, gained more weight, and put on more body fat compared to rats fed yogurt sweetened with sugar.
Saccharin (aka the “pink stuff”) isn’t used very often in foods these days, but the scientists think that other artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (blue stuff) and sucralose (yellow stuff) could have similar effects.
Other studies have indicated that artificial sweeteners may throw off your body's natural ability to regulate calories. And one found that the risk of obesity actually increases with each serving of diet soda consumed per day, even more than for regular soda drinkers.
Here are the specifics:
For regular soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese rose by:
* 26% for up to 1/2 can each day
* 30.4% for 1/2 to one can each day
* 32.8% for 1 to 2 cans each day
* 47.2% for more than 2 cans each day.
For diet soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:
* 36.5% for up to 1/2 can each day
* 37.5% for 1/2 to one can each day
* 54.5% for 1 to 2 cans each day
* 57.1% for more than 2 cans each day.
And weight gain may not be the only side effect. Have you ever had a headache after drinking a diet cola? The authors of a brand new study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition conclude that a high intake of aspartame (the blue stuff) may prevent enzymes in the brain from functioning normally, leading to neurodegeneration (the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons).
Another recent rat study, conducted by an Italian cancer institute, found that lifetime exposure to aspartame at twice the ADI (see below) increased rates of lymphomas and leukemias.
The Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) set for aspartame in the United States is 50 mg per kg of body weight (it’s lower in other countries) – to reach that amount, a 150 pound person would need to consume a lot of diet soda - about 7 1⁄2 cans or 90 ounces a day (a little over 3 liters). But of course, aspartame is found in many foods too, including sugar free yogurt and puddings, packets added to coffee and tea, chewable vitamins and gum, and even high fiber cereal. In fact, aspartame is an ingredient in about 6,000 foods sold worldwide.
The artificial sweetener debate has remained one of the most controversial and heated topics in nutrition science since I’ve been in this field, and I don’t see it slowing down any time soon. But it’s certainly one I’ve changed my tune about. Newer studies, coupled with the high number of anecdotal complaints I hear from clients (who say they suffer from headaches, dizziness, and mood changes), and the fact that artificial sweeteners are well, artificial, have led me to add it to my ‘foods to avoid’ list.
In addition, many people report bloating and sluggishness when they eat fake sugars, and those symptoms in particular can seriously impede athletic performance.
What do you think? Have you experienced any of these side effects or are you “addicted” to artificial sweeteners? Please share your thoughts!