Diet Coke

Caranal

Just curious about the healthiness of diet coke, since I've started college I've had about an average of 2-3 500ml bottles a day or so for about 4 days of the week. Other than that i tend to steer clear of fizzy drinks.

How will this affect my body, if at all, compared to water. Ideally I'd prefer to drink water but it just doesnt give me the same mental kick I get from diet coke, seems to give me more energy to actually do some work.

katiemaloe

Diet coke has no nutrition at all. There is no carb value in it so it doesn't really give you energy. I'd say you are just buzzing on the caffeine, which wouldn't be doing you ny favours. Water is obviously better for you. Or maybe you would like juice or something.... cranberry is pretty refreshing. Or maybe have a bottle of water, with a splash of blackcurrant in it.

jdivision

Be prepared for being grouchy and headaches when you come off. That stuff is ridiculously addictive in my experience.

Cadiz

I assume 2-3 500ml bottles a day would mean rocket fuel amounts of caffeine consumption as well?

WellyJ

A bottle of Diet Coke is better than a bottle of fruit juice. There is more sugar in some fruit juices than in normal Coke. 3 bottles a day seems a bit much but a bottle here and there is fine imo.

orlit

Hi

I received an Email which made me quit Diet coke cold turkey - the title was - SWEET POISON - Diet coke contains an Ingredient called ASPARTAME (which is also found in chewing gum and other "sugar free" foods) The FDA (Food and drug administration) has received more complaints about aspartame than any other ingredient to date. "Aspartame poisoning" has been blamed for conditions such as Fibromyalgia, MS (multiple sclerosis) Alzheimer's and Diabetes.
I switched to Water and herbal teas! I missed DC terribly at the beginning but now can't stand the stuff. There are lots of healthy ways to improve energy levels without having to consume large quantities of sweet poison! Best of Luck

girlingalway

As a dentist have seen huge damage done by diet coke. Acid erosion is a massive problem and is very difficult to treat. Ask your dentist if your diet coke drinking is thinning your teeth. Once the enamel layer is dissolved away you won't get it back and your teeth can become very yellow and sensitive.

metamorphosis

the body does not recognise aspartamine and can treat it in the same way as sugar. - not good!
Aspartamine is horrific stuff.

My advise? wean yourself to 2 bottles a day, then 1, then maybe 3 a week and reduce again in the same manner. A bottle here or there is grand but 12-15 bottles a week is terrible and it is nutritionally void.

g'em

orlit wrote: »

Hi

I received an Email which made me quit Diet coke cold turkey - the title was - SWEET POISON - Diet coke contains an Ingredient called ASPARTAME (which is also found in chewing gum and other "sugar free" foods) The FDA (Food and drug administration) has received more complaints about aspartame than any other ingredient to date. "Aspartame poisoning" has been blamed for conditions such as Fibromyalgia, MS (multiple sclerosis) Alzheimer's and Diabetes.

Blamed with ZERO proof. Intarweb scaremongering at its finest hour.

Diet coke is not good for you, but neither is it particularly bad for you. As with everything, drink it in moderation.

sam34

orlit wrote: »

Hi

Diet coke contains an Ingredient called ASPARTAME... "Aspartame poisoning" has been blamed for conditions such as ... Alzheimer's..

i am an old age psychiatrist, and i have NEVER seen any reliable, scientific evidence linking diet coke (or any other fizzy drinks) to ALzheimer's.

El_Dangeroso

As well as the horrible effect that diet coke has on teeth, aspartame is far from a benign substance.

Here's a really good scientifically-referenced review on the safety of aspartame:

http://www.gordonresearch.com/articles_adhd/The_Bitter_Truth_about_Aspartame.pdf

For me, I'm not happy ingesting something that still has massive question marks surrounding it's safety. It has only been in the mainstream food chain in any meaningful quantity for twenty years so it's long term effects are entirely unknown.

I'd swap the dc for fruit tea, it's much better and still has a nice taste if you occasionally find water a bit boring, or roobios tea is nice too.

g'em

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Here's a really good scientifically-referenced review on the safety of aspartame:

http://www.gordonresearch.com/articles_adhd/The_Bitter_Truth_about_Aspartame.pdf

It's referencing scientific reviews but not accurately, it's still scaremongering and it's also quite old (circa 1994 judging by the references?)

As of 2002 the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) of the European Commission, the U.K. Food Standards Agency (further reviewed and supported in 2008) and the French Food Safety Agency had all concluded aspartame as safe for human consumption.

El_Dangeroso

g'em wrote: »

It's referencing scientific reviews but not accurately, it's still scaremongering and it's also quite old (circa 1994 judging by the references?)

As of 2002 the Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) of the European Commission, the U.K. Food Standards Agency (further reviewed and supported in 2008) and the French Food Safety Agency had all concluded aspartame as safe for human consumption.

Did you read the article? It details exactly why an appeal to authority is useless in this debate, you actually have to look at the actual science:

Erik Millstone, a researcher at the Science Policy Research Unit of Sussex University has compiled thousands of pages of evidence, some of which have been obtained using the freedom of information act 23, showing:

1. Laboratory tests were faked and dangers were concealed.

2. Tumors were removed from animals and animals that had died were "restored to life" in laboratory records.

3. False and misleading statements were made to the FDA.

4. The two US Attorneys given the task of bringing fraud charges against the aspartame manufacturer took positions with the manufacturer's law firm, letting the statute of limitations run out.

5. The Commissioner of the FDA overruled the objections of the FDA's own scientific board of inquiry. Shortly after that decision, he took a position with Burson-Marsteller, the firm in charge of public relations for G.D. Searle.

I think that is reason enough to suspect that the declaration of safety is not based on all the evidence.

Ultimately it is up to the individual to decide whether or not they want to partake in a giant experiment on the long term effects of this chemical. I for one will be sitting this one out.

g'em

Have you read the EU, UK FSA and FFSA reports? Barely a mention of the FDA in those documents, they're European independent reports. I'll leave the conspiracies to those who like to indulge in that kind of thing.

Pembily

Not the biggest fan of aspartamene but OP if you asked the question you must have an idea that is not great for you!!

I am not going to scaremonger or anything but I feel anything that can clean a coin is not good for you!!!

Tropical juice and sparkling water is savage and much better!!!! But it's a personal choice...

El_Dangeroso

g'em wrote: »

Have you read the EU, UK FSA and FFSA reports? Barely a mention of the FDA in those documents, they're European independent reports. I'll leave the conspiracies to those who like to indulge in that kind of thing.

I don't indulge in conspiracies, I actually look at the evidence, and yep I had a quick flick through those reports, it's interesting what they omit. Government agencies have a long and illustrious history of being terribly wrong from time to time, they're not infallible. Remember transfats? Every single government report recommended them as the heart-healthy alternative in the 1970's.

There are also rumblings that the FDA is poised to ban aspartame in the near future, the cargill company (coco-cola) has developed it's own version of the stevia plant so will no longer feel obliged to lobby so intensively on aspartame's behalf.

Here is a list of all the studies carried out by the sweetener industry:

http://www.dorway.com/industry.html

100% of the research asserts the safety of aspartame (no real surprise there)

Here is all the independently funded research on aspartame:

http://www.dorway.com/nonindus.html

92% identified a concern over aspartame's safety.

including a study that showed an increased cancer risk at half the maximum daily consumption limit outline in the UK report you posted.

I think to declare aspartame a benign substance that has been subject to unjustified scaremongering is quite naive in the face of the evidence.