If you are one of the many “dieters” that believes diet soda is a healthy alternative to a regular soda, then you are totally wrong. Research shows that diet sodas can be just as harmful as the regular ones.
The following information was taken from: www.3fatchicks.com
1. Weight Gain
Diet soda is made with artificial sweeteners. These sweeteners are made by modifying real sugar. Three hydrogen-oxygen groups in real sugar are replaced with three chlorine atoms. The chlorine atoms make the sugar inactive so that it will pass through the body and the body will not recognize this molecule. This is how the molecule becomes low-calorie. The body not recognizing the molecule makes this molecule have no effect on the body.
Over time, the body not recognizing this molecule will cause the chemistry of the brain to change. The brain will begin to not recognize things that are sweet and will not recognize them as calories. When sweetness is not being internally recorded, the threat to overeat, and overeat by a lot, is always there.
2. Illness
Aspartame is one of the chemicals that is in diet soda. This chemical alone is created from many different chemicals. This chemical was created to pass right through the body and not be metabolized by the body. Many studies have been done on aspartame and it is believed to be the cause for several conditions and illnesses. Some complaints people had were dizziness, memory loss, headaches, mood swings and anxiety.
The side effects of aspartame are hard to link directly to the consumption of diet soda because they mimic the side effects of so many other conditions. On people that were studied, when they stopped drinking diet soda, their health and their symptoms began to improve. This is what caused people to believe there is a negative side to diet soda.
3. Dehydration
Diet soda is made up of many chemicals. Some of these chemicals will cause us to become dehydrated. The dehydration sets in after drinking the first soda. After drinking that soda, our thirst is not quenched and we reach for another soda to quench that thirst. You may feel full and even a bit bloated, but you are still thirsty. If soda is continued to be consumed, the thirst will get worse.
4. Caffeine Addiction
Caffeine is very addictive and some people compare it to a drug. Caffeine is very hard to give up and the more diet soda you drink, the worse your addiction will be. When you go without caffeine for too long, it will take a toll on your body. Coming down from a caffeine high is very hard on the body. Caffeine also affects your bones. Caffeine removes calcium from your bones and can be dangerous to children because of this.
Diet soda is everywhere in our culture and because of it having no calories, it is very intriguing. Because of the chemical makeup, diet soda is not healthy for you and can cause damage to your body.