Bad drug in the beverage aisle

We all know that sugary drinks are bad for us. A typical soda delivers about 160 calories. Given that 100 extra calories per day lead to a 10 pound weight gain in a year – that one can of soda can literally add 15 pounds to your weight in a very short period of time.

But what if I told you there was another beverage that could be even worse?  In fact, if it were a pharmaceutical it might have been pulled from the market by now.

If a prescription drug increased the chance of a pre-term delivery, it would carry a stern warning to physicians against use in pregnant women.  If a prescription drug was associated with a 30% increased likelihood of depression, it would have “depression” listed as a major side effect on the patient information pamphlet, with instructions to report the side effect immediately.  And if daily use of a prescription medication was associated with a 67% increased risk of developing type II diabetes, it would never pass FDA clearance.

Diet soda has been shown to do all these things.

So what about the main reason we drink the stuff – weight loss?

Turns out, it doesn’t even work for that!  Those zero/low calorie sweeteners don’t help us attain the goal we have when we turn to diet beverages.

A recent analysis showed that consumption of nonnutritive sweeteners is actually associated with INCREASES in weight, waist circumference and BMI.

In fact, long-term studies suggest that consumption of nonnutritive sweeteners is associated with higher risks of obesity, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, stroke and cardiovascular disease events.

Whether diet or regular, soda is not your friend.

Water, the original zero calorie drink, is always the best choice.

References:

http://www.cmaj.ca/content/189/28/E929.long

https://draxe.com/is-diet-soda-bad-for-you/