Diet Soda and Weight Gain, what is the Real Connection?
Diet soda often gets a bad rap, and it is easy to see why. Besides being artificially flavored, sweetened, and colored, diet soda has led to more than its fair share of weight gain. Diet soda contains empty carbs (sugar) and calories like any other beverage. And it also delivers the same empty calories as regular soda.
It is no surprise that soda is linked with weight gain and other health issues. But what about diet soda? While many people assume that diet sodas are healthier than regular sodas, some research finds that diet soda can be more calorie-dense and fat- and sodium-filled than regular soda. This doesn’t mean diet soda can’t be a healthy part of a diet, but it does mean diet soda doesn’t play by the same rules as normal soda.
4 Ways Diet Soda Could Make You Gain Weight
- You use diet drinks to justify consuming more calories elsewhere. Also, your body may continue to process artificial sweeteners as if they were real sugar.
You’ve probably heard all the negative reasons to avoid soda. It’s loaded with empty calories, it’s empty of vitamins and nutrients, and it just makes you feel blah. But there are reasons (and even worse reasons) not to drink diet soda too. And that reason might be that you’re actually using diet drinks to justify consuming more calories elsewhere.
- Your brain recognizes fake sugar as real sugar.
Diet soda has been a controversial topic for years. While some swear by it and others swear off it entirely, experts generally agree that diet soda has a negative impact on your health. It’s even been linked to weight gain in some studies. And now, new research is showing yet another reason why diet soda should be avoided. It could affect your brain.
- Your sugary expectations are raised.
You probably already know that diet soda isn’t the best choice of beverage for weight loss. But beyond that, diet soda is loaded with sugar and other ingredients, all of which could be making it harder for you to lose weight. And believe it or not, diet soda could be making it harder for you to lose weight.
Diet soft drinks (also known as diet beverages) are often touted for their great taste, as well as their health benefits. They’ve been promoted as a way to lose weight and as a tool to help diabetics. However, research has shown that diet beverages do little to help you reach your weight loss goals.
Some swear by diet soda, and those who swear it isn’t safe. But anyone who knows anything about science knows that diet soda is no friend to your weight. For years, diet soda has been touted as a healthy alternative to regular soda, but recent research shows that it may not be as healthy as we thought. Diet soda, also known as artificially sweetened soda, comes in a variety of flavors and is made with artificial sweeteners, such as saccharin, aspartame, and acesulfame potassium. Although diet soda is low in calories and diet soda companies now market them as a better option than regular soda, research has linked diet soda with weight gain for various reasons.
The artificial sweetener in diet soda is sweeter than regular soda, leading to worse health consequences. Researchers found that artificial sweeteners may stimulate hunger and suppress fullness by altering the sweet taste receptors in the brain. This may explain why diet soda drinkers are 57 percent more likely to gain weight over time than non-diet soda drinkers.
This study didn’t have enough evidence to prove or disprove the hypothesis. However, researchers did find that people who consumed diet soda were more likely to gain weight. Therefore, if you are trying to maintain a healthy weight, you may want to avoid diet soda even if this study does not prove causation.
While diet soda is often thought to be a healthier alternative to regular soda, the artificial sweetener substance known as aspartame has been found to hurt your body; aspartame affects your entire body, including your brain and muscles. When the consumption of diet soda increases, the actual intake of sugar increases. Not only does this affect the way your body functions, but it also allows your body to crave more sugar.
The verdict is out on artificial sweeteners. Most people don’t gain weight after eating diet soda, but the study doesn’t show why. What’s more, if you’re overweight, there are a number of risk factors for obesity other than diet soda, such as being a woman, being older, being from a lower socioeconomic background, and consuming lots of alcohol.