As one of the many out there, I am Addicted to "diet coke and diet Pepsi."which ever one is on sale, and would love to see a good reason why I should just QUIT. I drink a ton of the expensive no good stuff.

Diet sodas may have less total calories, but the amount of other crap that the various companies put in there to make them taste the way they do are not doing good things for your body. To that, I'll also add that I've heard that the carbonation can interfere with your oxygen uptake system, but I've got no proof of that, so it may just be a really cool urban legend.

Here's some questionable science:
http://www.emaxhealth.com/11/586.html

I want to believe it regardless of whether or not it's true. The insulin thing makes sense if nothing else does.

I can't offer any emperical evidence, however here are my thoughts:

Diet Soda is addicting - I am/was addicted...during lent i gave it up so still trying to keep that going, during the week at least...now i drink coffee, then a diet snapple, then water the rest of the day (and a beer or wine here an there too lol)

There is no doubt that artificial sugar is not good for you - while it is better than real sugar in terms of losing weight, it is not ideal.

If they are just starting out to lose weight, i would encourage them to drink more water because it is better for losing weight and overall health/metabolism etc..that may help get them over to it......so maybe 1 diet soda a day, then water for the rest....and over time, they may kick the soda...but again, I can speak for myself, it is TOTALLY ADDICTING so getting off it cold turkey may be hard for them

actually, there are studies linking diet soda to weight gain. the mechanism is probably as you might think, that people who drink a lot of diet sodas probably think that they are "making up" for whatever non-diet foods or drinks that they consume. if anyone is interested in citations, i can post them.

I have read studies that show that just like real sugar, the sweet taste of diet soda invokes an insulin spike (which of course will keep you from burning fat) and that artificial sweeteners disrupt your body’s sense of being full. So 2 good reasons to stay away from large quantities of diet soda if you want to loose weight. Much easier to say than do though as diet sodas can be highly addictive. Especially Diet Dr. Pepper.

Here is a link to an article regarding weight gain & diet soda.

http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/dietsoda.html

I did a yahoo search on "problems with diet soda" and quite a few things come up.

I don't have the link, but a few years ago I read a study linking diet colas and bone problems, specifically with women.

Colas in general are pure junk! According to Wikipedia ingredients in Diet Coke (as formulated in the United States), listed in order of greatest to least amount:

Carbonated water

Caramel color

Aspartame (which has been blamed by some scientists and medical professionals for possibly causing serious illnesses such as cancer, brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma)

Phosphoric acid (used to remove rust!)

Potassium benzoate (Also used as the whistle in many fireworks)

Natural flavors

Citric acid (is also used as a stop bath in photography)

Caffeine (effects the heart, brain, memory, and many other functions)

After looking at that list, tell me ONE ingredient you'd willingly put into your body. And if you like this kind of info, read "Deconstructing the Twinkie" by Steve Ettlinger.

To those that say "studies show that people who drink diet soda are more likely to be overweight" - remember that people who choose diet instead of regular because the feel the need to lose weight. It's kinda like saying "people who use Lipitor are more likely to have high cholesterol." Obviously that's a stretch, but you see my point. The study is screwed by the sample of people used.

To add to what TBRAVO said, the artificial sugar tricks your body into thinking it had real calories, so your craving for sugar is satisfied. However, eventually your body realized that you tricked it, and it gets mad. Well, it don't get mad, but it does crave even more sugar then it initially did.

I don't understand how insulin works in the body, and I think in order to understand how artificial sweeteners make you fat, you need to understand insulin. However, I do believe what I've read about diet soda not helping to lose weight. Don't give up on convincing them!

I think the key, as stated in some of the responses above, lies in "large quantities" and "drinking a lot of diet sodas." The OP doesn't state how much is being consumed; why not limit to 1 per day and go from there? Anything in moderation can't be too harmful.

[quote=macker]I can't offer any emperical evidence, however here are my thoughts:

Diet Soda is addicting - I am/was addicted...during lent i gave it up so still trying to keep that going, during the week at least...now i drink coffee, then a diet snapple, then water the rest of the day (and a beer or wine here an there too lol)

There is no doubt that artificial sugar is not good for you - while it is better than real sugar in terms of losing weight, it is not ideal.

If they are just starting out to lose weight, i would encourage them to drink more water because it is better for losing weight and overall health/metabolism etc..that may help get them over to it......so maybe 1 diet soda a day, then water for the rest....and over time, they may kick the soda...but again, I can speak for myself, it is TOTALLY ADDICTING so getting off it cold turkey may be hard for them[/quote]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and state it's the caffeine in diet soda that is addictive, not the diet soda itself. As a former 3 can/day diet soda drinker, I switched to green tea w/ about the same amount of caffeine, and the transition was seamless. (You caffeine haters can save your breath; I'm never giving it up).

[quote=fastdog5][quote=macker]I can't offer any emperical evidence, however here are my thoughts:

Diet Soda is addicting - I am/was addicted...during lent i gave it up so still trying to keep that going, during the week at least...now i drink coffee, then a diet snapple, then water the rest of the day (and a beer or wine here an there too lol)

There is no doubt that artificial sugar is not good for you - while it is better than real sugar in terms of losing weight, it is not ideal.

If they are just starting out to lose weight, i would encourage them to drink more water because it is better for losing weight and overall health/metabolism etc..that may help get them over to it......so maybe 1 diet soda a day, then water for the rest....and over time, they may kick the soda...but again, I can speak for myself, it is TOTALLY ADDICTING so getting off it cold turkey may be hard for them[/quote]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and state it's the caffeine in diet soda that is addictive, not the diet soda itself. As a former 3 can/day diet soda drinker, I switched to green tea w/ about the same amount of caffeine, and the transition was seamless. (You caffeine haters can save your breath; I'm never giving it up).
[/quote]

ahahhahaha
+1. I am a coffee-holic and will never give it up!

I have 1 diet soda, 1 a day, everyday.
that, and lowfat ice cream are my downfalls

Fatdog is right...its the caffeine for sure, and what becomes hard to break is the association of caffeine with soda...just like Pavlov! Show me a 20oz bottle of Diet Coke and I start salivating....I am doing well with just coffee and one diet snapple for the past 6 weeks..but i do have to confess, 2 beers a night is even harder to kick!!! What can i say, i'm 100% Irish...:-)

I've got to disagree with most of the above posts. The science just doesn't seem to be there for some claims we are making.

[quote=TBRAVO]I have read studies that show that just like real sugar, the sweet taste of diet soda invokes an insulin spike (which of course will keep you from burning fat) [/quote]

[url=http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=3571453]This paper[/url] suggests that nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners in solution are not adequate stimuli for the elicitation of CPIR (cephalic phase insulin release) in humans. Similarly, [url=http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/49/3/427]This paper[/url] says that aspartame in doses fount in 1 liter of diet soda "do not alter secretion of prolactin, cortisol, growth hormone, or insulin in normal individuals." Science seems to indicate that sweeteners do not cause a spike in insulin. Maybe it does other things.

[quote=Star]... Citric acid (is also used as a stop bath in photography) After looking at that list, tell me ONE ingredient you'd willingly put into your body. [/quote]

Lets start with... Citric acid. It can make up as much as 8% of the dry weight of lemons and limes. Just because something has multiple uses doesn't make it unhealthy. But yes, generally, the more ingredients in a processed food, the worse it is for you.

Most of the websites I've browsed while looking at this topic are just crap, using faux-science to back claims that no one really knows are true. This article[quote=prendergi]
http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/dietsoda.html[/quote] is a great example. It takes the giant leap from correlation to causation from these data:

Fowler's team looked at seven to eight years of data on 1,550 Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white Americans aged 25 to 64. Of the 622 study participants who were of normal weight at the beginning of the study, about a third became overweight or obese.

For regular soft-drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight or obese was:

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.

For each can of diet soft drink consumed each day, a person's risk of obesity went up 41%.

This is a huge leap in logic, saying that drinking soda was the cause of the obesity observed. There were probably many, many, many other factors that lead to an individual becoming obese, none of which were addressed or accounted for. Who knows it diet soda was the cause?

Anyway, sorry for the small rant. At the end of the day, I don't think diet soda is going to do much in terms of weight loss. It doesn't seem to cause insulin spikes. Maybe it has an effect on satiation. But, it is saving the individuals 150 cal/soda over drinking the real thing. Maybe it has other effects on long term health, but science hasn't yet indicated that conclusively (that I know of, I may be wrong).

[quote=macker]Fatdog is right...its the caffeine for sure, and what becomes hard to break is the association of caffeine with soda...just like Pavlov! Show me a 20oz bottle of Diet Coke and I start salivating....I am doing well with just coffee and one diet snapple for the past 6 weeks..but i do have to confess, 2 beers a night is even harder to kick!!! What can i say, i'm 100% Irish...:-)[/quote]
Beer is a recovery drink, just like chocolate milk. You can keep your Heed, Gatorade, caffeine, and whatever sports drinks, just leave my Nesquik and Guinness out of it.

I will never give up my diet pepsi's!! I am 5ft3in 110lbs soakin wet! I just try not to eat a whopper w/my diet soda!!LOL

[quote=lala2021]I will never give up my diet pepsi's!! I am 5ft3in 110lbs soakin wet! I just try not to eat a whopper w/my diet soda!!LOL[/quote]

I hate you...
Just kidding :)

[quote=macker]Fatdog is right...its the caffeine for sure, and what becomes hard to break is the association of caffeine with soda...just like Pavlov! Show me a 20oz bottle of Diet Coke and I start salivating....I am doing well with just coffee and one diet snapple for the past 6 weeks..but i do have to confess, 2 beers a night is even harder to kick!!! What can i say, i'm 100% Irish...:-)[/quote]

25 pounds ago you could call me "fatdog." But please, it's fastdog. :)

[quote=krazyfranco]I
For each can of diet soft drink consumed each day, a person's risk of obesity went up 41%.

This is a huge leap in logic, saying that drinking soda was the cause of the obesity observed. There were probably many, many, many other factors that lead to an individual becoming obese, none of which were addressed or accounted for. Who knows it diet soda was the cause?
[/quote]

Yes. And, AND...all of these studies being quoted are all well and good, but this is a triathlon forum. Most of us work out what, 5-15 hours/week (grant me this for the sale of argument). So one can of diet coke is going to make me obese? Me?!? I'm joining krazyfranco in calling bullsh*t. You'll have to pry my 1 diet coke per day out of my cold, fat hands.

caeagle16, it's great that you are helping out your co-workers. I think everyone needs a little vice or two, whether it's a beer or a diet soda here and there. But I suppose these folks are consuming way more than that?

If so, you might want to introduce them to Kombucha. It's a naturally carbonated fermented tea drink that you can buy at places like Whole Foods. I LOVE soda, but I try not to drink it for many reasons. A friend of mine is a nutritionist and introduced me to Kombucha. It really meets that "soda" craving for me. It's a little sweet and very bubbly and even tastes a little like beer, yet very very healthy for you.

The down side is, it's expensive. $2.99 per bottle (ouch!). My friend is teaching me to brew my own and make any flavor I want. I seem to recall Ironmom mentioning this on another post. Anyone else a fan of this drink?

[quote=caeagle16]diet colas are gonna do more harm than good to them if they're trying to lose weight.[/quote]

I'd agree with this. They are definitely not doing anything good, and they might be doing harm, the extent of which is still unknown.

I feel better. I drink about three diet pepsis a week and was sweating that. Looks like I be doin alright

sorry FASTdog!!!!!

i can't add anything on the soda science, but i'm reading michael pollan right now ("in defense of food"), and it seems like just moving our diets over to whole foods and water and dropping processed foods to a minor % of our diets (less than 10%, or lower if you can) would make a HUGE difference in our weight and general health and well-being.

caeagle16, maybe it's a good book for your group if they're insistent on the healthfulness of diet soda?

Amazing the number of Diet Cola drinkers here. I can not stand the flavor of diet coke or pepsi, although I can handle a diet dr. pepper as it tastes more like regular dr. pepper. ;-)

Regular Coke and Pepsi are different beats. I do like them - can't aruge the healthfulness though.

[quote=jwillia852]Amazing the number of Diet Cola drinkers here. I can not stand the flavor of diet coke or pepsi, although I can handle a diet dr. pepper as it tastes more like regular dr. pepper. ;-)

Regular Coke and Pepsi are different beats. I do like them - can't aruge the healthfulness though.[/quote]

It's an acquired taste, to get the caffeine I so sorely need without all of the sugar. Mmmmmm, caffeine....

[quote=jwillia852]Amazing the number of Diet Cola drinkers here. I can not stand the flavor of diet coke or pepsi, although I can handle a diet dr. pepper as it tastes more like regular dr. pepper. ;-)

Regular Coke and Pepsi are different beats. I do like them - can't aruge the healthfulness though.[/quote]

I'm surprised at the number of cola drinkers also. It's in the same boat as fast food to me, but I have no desire to consume caffeine. I'm sure that makes all the difference...

My stance on all of that: While I am becoming increasingly competent at this sport we all love, I'm not a professional athlete, so I see no need to deprive myself of the things I enjoy, in moderation of course. If abstaining from fast food, diet cola, etc, etc. gets you closer to your goals, whatever those may be, then more power to you. Personally I find the number of diet cola drinkers here far from amazing.

[quote=fastdog5]My stance on all of that: While I am becoming increasingly competent at this sport we all love, I'm not a professional athlete, so I see no need to deprive myself of the things I enjoy, in moderation of course. If abstaining from fast food, diet cola, etc, etc. gets you closer to your goals, whatever those may be, then more power to you. Personally I find the number of diet cola drinkers here far from amazing. [/quote]

+1 :)

I will usually drink one can of diet soda (Coke, Dr. Pepper, Mtn. Dew) to avoid face planting into my keyboard since I usually have two workouts a day (morning and lunch). Oh, and I'm addicted to caffeine and man does that headache suck if I don't have it.

It all boils down to moderation. Like Fastdog said, I'm not a pro nor will I ever be close to that level. I like Diet Coke, so I drink Diet Coke. The good things I eat and drink far out weigh the bad things I eat and drink.

I also drink diet sodas (mainly Coke) now and then but there's a big difference if a triathlete or sportsmen consume these drinks or a person that wants to lose weight. I am in good shape and do sports regularly so I can "afford" drinking sodas. But people with weight problems that don't do sports won't lose any weight - they will probably gain weight - the links to thearticles posted above support this theory. These people have to start with [url=http://students.washington.edu/stc6/washington/sports.html]reasonable physical activity[/url], otherwise they won't lose weight when they keep drinking this unhealthy stuff.

drinking any type of carbonated beverage will tip your body out of acid/base balance. The products of a carbonated drink such as a diet coke ultimately results in the breakdown of carbonic acid resulting in CO2 and H2O. Anyone ever have to burp after drinking these?? this is a direct result of that CO2 release while still in your stomach. Once passed into your digestive tract and absorbed, it takes valuable erythrocytes (red blood cells, RBC's) to transport this CO2 to your lungs. Those red blood cells also carry oxygen. Anyone ever heard of erythropoitin or EPO? many top level triathletes have been found to have doped with this substance and lost titles. They lose titles because adding EPO to your body increases your ability to transport O2 to your muscles by triggering your bone marrow to create more RBC's , giving them a huge advantage over someone without higher levels of EPO. EPO and the addition of extra RBC's to your blood increases the viscosity of your blood, increasing your chances of heart related problems. In relation to trithletes and the fact that generally they have a higher stroke volume and lower heart rate this isn't quite as much of a problem compared to a non-endurance athlete who has a smaller stroke volume and higher heart rate.
Anyway, back to the point! if you only have certain levels of EPO in your body naturally, and are only creating a certain number of RBC's that can transport O2 and CO2. You are temporarily filling some of them with more CO2 which means you obviously cant use those ones to carry O2. You then suffer the metabolic losses associated with this, whether you are working out or trying to keep your metabolism elevated. The fact is that higher metabolic rates create higher metabolic wastes, one of which is CO2, and if the system is already full your metabolism must slow down because it cannot expel its wastes.
This does not explain every aspect of the effects of CO2 or carbonated water or carbonic acid or soda pop......whichever term you would like to use. Your body breaks down everything you put into it into a simple, relatively small number of products. Take this for what its worth, and i encourage you to do more research on your own.

"Take this for what it's worth..."

You mean confusing? I'm not sure what my 1 DC/day habit has to do with EPO doping or really any of that.

well the main point was to explain how carbonation effects the body, EPO plays into your bodies need for the transport of oxygen and CO2, which is how it ties into carbonation. haha sorry for any confusion

All the members of this forums share god information regarding diet...
I hope the next time, all the members will continue to sharing such good information..

[url=http://www.straightupfitness.com/los-angeles-boot-camp]Los Angeles Boot Camp[/url]

I took a university nutrition class in nursing school, from the head of the dietitian department in our health region and she stated that "anyone drinking a diet coke that day was not absorbing calcium". This is a good reason to stop with diet coke. It has high amount of phosphours which as a direct relationship with calcium absorption. When you have high levels of phosphours your body does absorb calcium therefore long term use of diet soda's can impact calcium levels which can cause lower bone density and muscle cramping.... this is what I was told and it has stuck with me. Although..... i do love a diet pepsi here and there but it is the long term use that can have effects.

My biggest issue with diet sodas is that it causes people to crave unhealthy foods after consuming them... sort of a "self-fulfilling prophesy" if you will. As it's hard enough for people, athletes or otherwise, to properly follow a nutrition program, adding in the added temptations from the side effects of diet sodas just isn't worth it in my opinion.

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Chemicals. Blech. It's the worst thing about diet soda. I haven't had one in years. I do admit to a cold Coke now and then and especially after a long workout and especially since I've discovered Kosher or Latin Coke. Made with sugar instead of HFCS. Nice little glass bottle...ice cold...Man! Good stufff.

[quote=Anton]especially since I've discovered Kosher or Latin Coke. Made with sugar instead of HFCS. Nice little glass bottle...ice cold...Man! Good stufff.[/quote]
Come on down to Tejas Anton... I keep a case of that stuff around all the time. Nothing better.