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Why Do You Drink Diet Soft Drinks???

We have all seen the ads with the beautiful, thin, fit female enjoying her diet soft drink while she is having a great time and everyone stands around envying and wanting her.  The cultural ideal of the female body image that has been etched into the souls of every American, whether you like it or not, is a lie.  Is this the definition of beauty? We should think about it because it is a factor in why we choose to drink diet drinks.  It is clear that in our longing to be significant and loved we are steered by such ads to consume their products.  Body image and significance are real issues and we should all take a look at “why” we choose to consume any product.  But the central issue of this article is to examine the potential health risks of diet soft drinks.

1.   Aspartame – 92 negative symptoms have been attributed to the consumption of aspartame.  Some of these symptoms include brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, and seizures.  Aspartame decomposes in the can into formaldehyde, methyl alcohol, formic acid, and diketopiperazine, all of which are carcinogens.  Five of seven monkeys developed grand mal seizures and one died when exposed to these carcinogens.  Aspartame is proven to cause cancer in lab animals.  Although it is not proven to cause cancer in humans, Harvard Medical states it is possible link. 

2.   Obesity – One’s risk for obesity increases by 41% according to a University of Texas study.  It seems counterintuitive that a diet drink would lead to diabetes, but the ingredients in diet drinks stimulate appetite which leads to over consumption of calories.

3.     Metabolic Syndrome – Metabolic Syndrome refers to the following or combination of the following: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure.  Those who consume diet drinks have a 44% increased risk according to one Boston University Study.

4.     Calcium Deficiency – The high levels of caffeine and phosphoric acid lead to bone and tooth degeneration.  Phosphoric acid blocks the absorption of calcium.  Caffeine is a diuretic washing necessary calcium out of the body before it has a chance to be absorbed.  Children who consume these beverages will not develop healthy bone and tooth density and adults put themselves at risk for osteoporosis and tooth decay.

5.     Pancreatic Cancer – In February of 2010 a study reported in Cancer Epidemiology found a connection to diet drinks and pancreatic cancer.  The connection is not completely clear but probably has something to do with the effects of diet drinks on insulin since insulin is produced in the pancreas. 

6.     Kidney Disease – The National Nurses Health Study found a two – fold decline in kidney function for those who consume 2 diet drinks per day.

7.     Phenylketonurnia – PKU can cause brain damage if you do not have the enzyme to break down this dangerous ingredient.

8.     Digestive Diseases – Diet drinks are linked to acid reflux, GERD, ulcers, and hiatal hernia.

I will never forget walking out of my training studio on a beautiful spring day and an attractive lady, late 30s probably, was eating some whole wheat crackers with cheese and grapes as she sipped on her Diet Coke.  She had made good choices regarding the whole wheat crackers, cheese and grapes.  But, why the Diet Coke?   Obviously she wanted to save calories.  She probably had no idea that the Diet Coke was blocking the absorption of calcium from her cheese that she probably chose intentionally to get some calcium.  Don’t fear calories!  We all need calories and as long as the calories come from real food you will be healthy. 

The above points are not to cause unnecessary fear but to make one think about one’s choices with diet drinks.  As with many studies there are probably several other factors that may have contributed to some of the findings in these studies.  Often those who are making poor health choices are making several poor health choices.  Thankfully there are many other healthy, disease preventing choices – water, real fruit juice, and herbal teas.  And for those of you who really miss the caffeine, bubbles and sugar you can easily mix sparkling mineral water with your favorite real fruit juice and eat a piece of dark chocolate to get some caffeine.  Don’t fear the calories.  Calories will not kill you but will promote health, disease prevention and life when they come from Real Food.  There are also companies like IZZE who make low calorie drinks with just the right amount of fruit juice and bubbles.  So don’t stop enjoying – simply enjoy smarter!

Julian Kaufman is the owner of Fitness Together – Chattanooga and is involved at Baylor school in sports performance training, fitness, and wellness.  He has a degree in Health and Exercise Science from Furman University,  M.ED, NSCA-CSCS, USA Track & Field, and Epic Rating.

We have all seen the ads with the beautiful, thin, fit female enjoying her diet soft drink while she is having a great time and everyone stands around envying and wanting her. The cultural ideal of the female body image that has been etched into the souls of every American, whether you like it or not, is a lie. Is this the definition of beauty? We should think about it because it is a factor in why we choose to drink diet drinks. It is clear that in our longing to be significant and loved we are steered by such ads to consume their products. Body image and significance are real issues and we should all take a look at “why” we choose to consume any product. But the central issue of this article is to examine the potential health risks of diet soft drinks.

1. Aspartame – 92 negative symptoms have been attributed to the consumption of aspartame. Some of these symptoms include brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, and seizures. Aspartame decomposes in the can into formaldehyde, methyl alcohol, formic acid, and diketopiperazine, all of which are carcinogens. Five of seven monkeys developed grand mal seizures and one died when exposed to these carcinogens. Aspartame is proven to cause cancer in lab animals. Although it is not proven to cause cancer in humans, Harvard Medical states it is possible link.

2. Obesity – One’s risk for obesity increases by 41% according to a University of Texas study. It seems counterintuitive that a diet drink would lead to diabetes, but the ingredients in diet drinks stimulate appetite which leads to over consumption of calories.

3. Metabolic Syndrome – Metabolic Syndrome refers to the following or combination of the following: diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure. Those who consume diet drinks have a 44% increased risk according to one Boston University Study.

4. Calcium Deficiency – The high levels of caffeine and phosphoric acid lead to bone and tooth degeneration. Phosphoric acid blocks the absorption of calcium. Caffeine is a diuretic washing necessary calcium out of the body before it has a chance to be absorbed. Children who consume these beverages will not develop healthy bone and tooth density and adults put themselves at risk for osteoporosis and tooth decay.

5. Pancreatic Cancer – In February of 2010 a study reported in Cancer Epidemiology found a connection to diet drinks and pancreatic cancer. The connection is not completely clear but probably has something to do with the effects of diet drinks on insulin since insulin is produced in the pancreas.

6. Kidney Disease – The National Nurses Health Study found a two – fold decline in kidney function for those who consume 2 diet drinks per day.

7. Phenylketonurnia – PKU can cause brain damage if you do not have the enzyme to break down this dangerous ingredient.

8. Digestive Diseases – Diet drinks are linked to acid reflux, GERD, ulcers, and hiatal hernia.

I will never forget walking out of my training studio on a beautiful spring day and an attractive lady, late 30s probably, was eating some whole wheat crackers with cheese and grapes as she sipped on her Diet Coke. She had made good choices regarding the whole wheat crackers, cheese and grapes. But, why the Diet Coke? Obviously she wanted to save calories. She probably had no idea that the Diet Coke was blocking the absorption of calcium from her cheese that she probably chose intentionally to get some calcium. Don’t fear calories! We all need calories and as long as the calories come from real food you will be healthy.

The above points are not to cause unnecessary fear but to make one think about one’s choices with diet drinks. As with many studies there are probably several other factors that may have contributed to some of the findings in these studies. Often those who are making poor health choices are making several poor health choices. Thankfully there are many other healthy, disease preventing choices – water, real fruit juice, and herbal teas. And for those of you who really miss the caffeine, bubbles and sugar you can easily mix sparkling mineral water with your favorite real fruit juice and eat a piece of dark chocolate to get some caffeine. Don’t fear the calories. Calories will not kill you but will promote health, disease prevention and life when they come from Real Food. There are also companies like IZZE who make low calorie drinks with just the right amount of fruit juice and bubbles. So don’t stop enjoying – simply enjoy smarter!

Julian Kaufman is the owner of Fitness Together – Chattanooga and is involved at Baylor school in sports performance training, fitness, and wellness. He has a degree in Health and Exercise Science from Furman University, M.ED, NSCA-CSCS, USA Track & Field, and Epic Rating.