Typically marketed as a healthy alternative to regular, sugar-filled soda, diet soda’s seem very appealing, with their promise of zero sugar and zero calories. But does that make it safe to drink in large quantities? I myself am guilty of seeing the zero sugar/zero calories and then treating diet coke like water.
According to Penn Medicine, diet soda may actually be worse for you than regular soda. Here’s why:
Diet sodas contain many artificial sweeteners and additives that cause your body to crave more sugar. This can result in overeating and/or eating excess sugar, ultimately leading to weight gain or other health conditions. The artificial sugars also cause insulin levels and blood sugar to spike, which is linked to diabetic crashes of type 2 diabetes. This is in addition to increasing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Excess consumption of diet soda can increase your risk of stroke by almost 50%, according to the American Heart Association. This is because the elevated levels of sodium in each drink can increase both heart rate and blood pressure. This can lead to blood clots, thus increasing risk of stroke. One can might not hurt you sodium-level wise, but it is easy to quickly get above the suggested maximum of 2300 mg of sodium per day.
To learn more, visit https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2017/march/diet-soda