Another Study That Reams Diet Coke Addiction

July 2, 2011 // 10:53 pm // By: Elie Ayrouth

Count me in with the degenerate bunch of folks who’s addicted to the no-calorie, artificially sweetened Diet Coke. Since its inception in the early 80s there has been a continuous debate over the possible adverse health effects of Diet Coke and other drinks utilizing artificial sweeteners. At the heart of many of health debates is the use of aspartame, a substance that has been deemed safe for consumption by appropriate authorities but continues to be scrutinized by researchers and the media (we’re in the coach seats on this bandwagon, I know).

What’s the latest on the debate? The American Diabetes Association presented two studies on June 25th and 27at their Scientific Sessions in San Diego that seem to highlight why diet soda may actually aid in weight gain, and may even lead to higher chances of diabetes.

ScienceDaily has reprinted the report from epidemiologists of the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Center San Antonio. The report shows data that points to diet soft drink consumption has an association with increased waist circumference in humans. The data was gathered from 474 partipants in the study.

The results continue pummeling ‘diet soft drink users’. As a group, they “experienced 70 percent greater increases in waist circumference compared with non-users. Frequent users, who said they consumed two or more diet sodas a day, experienced waist circumference increases that were 500 percent greater than those of non-users.“

One of the educated at the helm of the study is Dr. Fernandes, who in response to the results claims, “These results suggest that heavy aspartame exposure might potentially directly contribute to increased blood glucose levels, and thus contribute to the associations observed between diet soda consumption and the risk of diabetes in humans.“

It’s likely if you’ve had your ear to the Internet, or to diet-coke-is-bad-mongering friends and family, you’ve heard generalities like this before.

What do you think of the latest study? Enough evidence to ween you off your favorite drinks? Or do you already stay clear of Diet drinks?

Elie AyrouthTwitterFacebook

Elie is a product of Orange County, CA. In early 2012, his dentist diagnosed him with 8 different cavities, three of which on the same tooth, as a result of his 23-year Sour Patch Kid addiction.

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Bubbs

From the title, I came here thinking this was another article that “reams diet coke addiction”… as in another article that reams the recent claims of Diet Coke addiction and weight gain.

Am I just stating the obvious when I contend that *of course* Diet Coke drinkers experience more weight gain. By the very fact that they’re regularly drinking Diet Coke, we know that these are people:

A) Have weight issues they’re either struggling to control (a lot of effort to maintain their weight) or are already fat,

B) Have discipline issues with eating, are drawn to guilty pleasures (hence the need to keep drinking fake sugar-water),

C) They aren’t that serious about getting healthy (or they wouldn’t regularly drink junk drinks instead of water & juice).

C) These people “participated in a study”, which means they come from a culture and have the personality style of lazy & instant gratification. (College students, single mums without custody, those on welfare / chronically unemployed).

Clearly these people as a group will have greater issues with managing their weight, even though they are “trying to keep their weight down” with an occasional walk and a Diet Coke.

Raj

I don’t think it’s an “of course” type context that wraps around Diet Coke drinkers experiencing more weight gain. While you make points that may ring validity among a good amount of Diet Coke drinkers, it definitely is not suited for a general consensus. You’re trivializing the results of this study by attributing slight mental deficiencies and current location in life to the weight gain, instead of looking at the data compiled and criticizing that.

Of course there are “fat people” and “unemployed” people who drink Diet Coke, but go out and eat a double cheeseburger and fries. Unless the study purposefully overlooked their participant group (which, who knows, could very well be the case), is not a fair piece to this discussion.

I may be overlooking something important, but regardless of who the group of 474 different people in the study may be, the fact that Diet Coke users experienced 70 percent greater waist circumference compared with those that didn’t drink, 500 percent greater among those who had two or more diet sodas a day, is eye-opening to say the least:

“Diet soft drink users, as a group, experienced 70 percent greater increases in waist circumference compared with non-users. Frequent users, who said they consumed two or more diet sodas a day, experienced waist circumference increases that were 500 percent greater than those of non-users.”

Bubbs

I see what you’re saying, especially about how I assumed mental deficiencies, that was inflammatory and naive of me. I also just noticed I have two part C’s, that was because I pushed the 3rd remark in as an afterthought but wanted that one last. It did feel questionable.

I’ll agree that the last criteria in the list (study participants generally avoiding working) was probably the most questionable.

But nixing that one, I want to stand behind the first 3 in the list as being characteristic of *frequent* Diet Coke drinkers, and likely the dominant reasons for weight problems.

That is what’s making me think the weight gain has less to do with what is contained in their beverage of choice, and more to do with what *frequent* Diet Coke drinkers have in common.
Bubbs

I see what you’re saying, especially about how I assumed mental deficiencies, that was inflammatory and naive of me. I also just noticed I have two part C’s, that was because I pushed the 3rd remark in as an afterthought but wanted that one last. It did feel questionable.

I’ll agree that the last criteria in the list (study participants generally avoiding working) was probably the most questionable.

But nixing that one, I want to stand behind the first 3 in the list as being characteristic of *frequent* Diet Coke drinkers, and likely the dominant reasons for weight problems.

That is what’s making me think the weight gain has less to do with what is contained in their beverage of choice, and more to do with what *frequent* Diet Coke drinkers have in common.

Adam from GrubGrade

Anytime you study old people, which this study did, you are going to see them get fatter. Life is too short too worry that your diet soda might kill you.
Alexander Gee

From the description of that study there is no scientific control. It in no way proves causality between diet soda and weight gain. It is highly likely that people drink diet soda AFTER they gain weight in order to try to induce weight loss. Isn’t this bleedingly obvious?

Another Study That Reams Diet Coke Addiction

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