How Diet Soda Actually Makes You Fat

I've been telling my overweight, diet soda swigging friends this for years but no one will listen because their ears are too fat.

Man, does this sound like a lot of crap. "emerging research"?? What is "emerging research"?? Research that isn't complete yet? Research that hasn't been verified by anyone?

Questions about Aspartame which is one of the most studied substances ever and we're supposed to believe "emerging research"?

"Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free" So is water, which is his alternative. I wonder how much nutrition tea has, other than being one of the highest sources of caffeine.

I think my sweet tooth is already firmly cemented, regardless of soda, diet soda, or water. Also,

So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you're downing five or six cans

Oh my god. It's almost weight gain is caused in part by poor impulse control.

People I know have reason to why they don't drink pop with aspertame. My sister and my mom get headaches when they drink it, my friend doesn't like it because he feels it leaves chemicals in the body that it cannot deal with (if that's true or not... meh), but I don't drink it because I think it tastes like ass.

this conclusion is ridiculously bad.

in otherwords what hes saying is NO
DIET SODA DOES NOT MAKE YOU GAIN WEIGHT.
IT DOESN'T
IT ABSOLUTELY DOESN'T
the food you eat afterword? Maybe
diet soda? NO.

Bunch of bullflop.... *takes a swig of her diet soda*

I recently read something similar, but it didn't blame the 'sweet tooth' on the weight gain of diet soda, but rather the 'seatbelt effect' of people making up for the diet soda with extra whatever.

The idea being, if I get a diet soda instead of a regular soda, I can justify super-sizing the meal.

Interesting now that Gov Paterson is proposing a tax on non-diet sodas in NY.

Tea has varying degrees of caffeine depending on the type of tea (white tea has very little). The reason it's hailed for health benefits is its high levels of antioxidants which fight free radicals that speed aging, promote cancer, and a whole slew of other things.

A CNN article I read recently said that Diet Soda's a bad idea because it's not real sugar, so it doesn't fix your body's sugar cravings. In turn, you eat more and more to find your sugar fix. It makes sense and so does this little bit you posted. Too bad it doesn't stop my family from guzzling down that ass soda.

Something without calories cannot make you gain weight. It's impossible.

Being an idiot and pigging out because "it's ok since I'm drinking diet soda" will.

Water is polluted, drink wine.

Can't stand diet soda anyway. It is my firm opinion that no one knows anything and you should hammer out your diet according to trial and error.

I suspect that the mechanism is as follows: with the first bite/sip of something that tastes like it has calories, the liver signals the pancreas to release a lot of insulin. This clears the glucose out of the blood stream and readies you for more nourishment. This mechanism is clearly understood. It's why appetizers make you hungrier instead of full.

However, when you drink a diet soda, the same thing happens, then you get hungry because the insulin has worked.

That's my guess, but I'd like to see some research on it.

One year X is bad, the next year X is good, the next year X is bad again...

Rinse. Repeat.

For example, here's some "expert" advice from 2007:

''' While fighting obesity is complicated, Ludwig said, the first step is clear. "Giving up sugary soda for diet drinks, or water, will cause you to lose weight." '''

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/09/18/kd.liquid.calories/index.html

The quoted blurb makes no sense if you are planning to simply replace your current regular soda intake with diet soda, as I think most people do.

Even White Tea has a lot of caffeine:

http://www.stashtea.com/caffeine.htm

You can make a case that ANYTHING is bad for you, if you try hard enough. My guess is that the author of this article is being used by the bottled water or tea manufacturers.

*sigh* If it were only Diet Coke, I'd have no problem; that stuff is narsty. But I actually LIKE Coke Zero and Diet Dr Pepper. I have been drinking three a day, but have cut down to just one at lunch.

It's all taste association. I think if you drink diet colas by themselves and not eat anything for a couple or few hours (before and after), you'd probably not gain weight. But if you're stuffing your face with food while chugging down diet dew, you're gonna get flubby.

I bet a vast majority of those who oppose this study are overweight lol.

diet soda dose make you fat, it happens very slowly and when you try to loose weight it is impossible. i know it happened to me. i gave up the diet soda and i was able to loose weight.
i gave up diet soda about 3 yrs ago for 6 months. i was able to loose 20lbs i could not loose before with a 1000 calorie diet and 1 hour of exercise a day i could not loose 1 pound. after the 6 months of no diet coke, i went back to diet soda. and slowly the weight creep back on, like it did before.
i have proven it with my own body.
its been two years and my diet soda habit has caused me to gain the weight back.
for the record diet soda was not always like this, when they changed the formulas back in the mid to late 90s thats when this happened. diet coke also became less fizzy over this time. its the new sweetners from 96 forward that did it. probably the high fructose corn syrup and stuff like that.
if diet coke went back to the old formulas we would all be slimmer.

this is to "ultima". diet soda does not get you fat. i've read articles of studies all over the place. it is impossible to gain wieght from diet soda because it has no calories. it doesn't have high fructose corn syrup like you say. it's just basically horribly flavored carbonated water(unless it's Coke Zero which tastes good). you probably slightly gained wieght because you would eat things after you drink the diet soda. i got on a diet about 4 months ago.gave up soda 3 months ago but i still lost wieght when i drank soda because i didn't drink allot of it.i started drinking diet soda(stopped now because the fizz would make my stomach hurt a bit and throat hurt) after i gave up soda and i still lost wieght.its been almost 4 months and i've lost around 23pounds.

As soon as your body tastes something sweet it responds by releasing insulin to deal with the sugar it feels it has consumed. Once no sugar comes down to meet with the insulin the insulin stores itself as fat. So YES diet sodas DO make you gain fat. Scientific proof is everywhere.
Google "cephalic reflex" for more info on what I've already said.

I think its hog wash.. I lost 43 pounds once all while drinking 4-6 cans of diet soda the whole way.. Its your diet and amount of excerise you get that counts.. Some people say they worked out for 1 Hr at the gym.. Did they actually work out or did the pace around the gym talking to other people and really not apply them selves?? Its all about calories.. Burn more than you consume and you will loose weight..

Its seems that this article is very misleading, Its saying that diet soda will make you hungry for calorie dense things.

If you think a zero calorie beverage can be stored as fat , I urge you to back to your basic high school biology class.

I have lost 10 pounds drinking a LOT of diet soda every single day. Its also FAT weight not muscle or fluid weight.

Its simple Biology really , calories in verses calories out.

I think the real reason Americans are getting fat is because all the chemicals, preservtives in our food, including diet soda, have virtually killed all most of the bacteria one used find in the diet that helps break down the foods. Just visit Venezuela for a week, eat nothing but the local foods (which is great), drink some local water, and you shoul lose ten lbs. by the time you get back. Your digestive system will be so full of bacteria from the foods that your colon will explode the sh** out!

BEHOLD! THE ULTIMATE WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT:

burn more calories than you take in.

AKA: calories burned > calories in.

Isn't it interesting how people just keep coming up with more and more excuses for weight gain? "oh, its not my fault, its the artificial sweetners tricking my body" whatever....heres a hint people...drinking a diet soda along with your big mac and supersized fries and apple pie is not the cause of your problem. put your fork down and take a walk for crying out loud!

Heres a quote for you all (Long so brace yourself): 'Diet Coke, regardless of how many calories it has, wreaks havoc on your fat loss efforts and will ultimately cause you to gain weight. There are two main reasons for the Diet Coke fallacy. First, the sweet taste from Diet Coke elicits an insulin spike, which blocks your ability to burn fat. Second, artificial sweeteners found in Diet Coke disrupt satiety, the feeling of being full. When it comes to losing fat, it is more about how much sugar (or sugar substitute) you consume rather than calories or dietary fat intake. Hence, the goal is to consume as little sugar or sugar substitute as possible (including fruits and their juices). Why? The sweet flavor elicits the release of insulin from the pancreas to enhance the uptake of sugar by the cells so that it doesn't linger in the bloodstream. Once insulin is released it inhibits your fat burning hormone called HSL (hormone sensitive lipase). This hormone is responsible for releasing fat into the bloodstream to be utilized as fuel. If inhibited, your body is unable to burn fat and will then begin utilizing amino acids (from muscle) and carbohydrates as fuel. This will leave you feeling tired, grumpy, and sloth-like toward the end of the day. Not to mention, you will become abnormally hungry. Those with large amounts of HSL burn fat all day and look thin and slim. Those who inhibit it by eating or drinking the wrong substances grow fat throughout their adult years. When we consume artificial sweeteners we disrupt the body's ability to count calories based on sweetness. Not able to use mouth feel to count calories, those who drink diet coke will overeat without conscious awareness. In other words, you think you're not eating like a pig, but in reality you are. Diet Coke is a joke. Stay away from it and other sugar sources if you're serious about losing fat and keeping it off forever. Regardless of your diet and/or training efforts, the aforementioned ill effects of sugar alternatives and sugar will greatly hinder them.'

Thankyou. (:

The asssertions posted here that claim "sweet flavors" triggers insulin response are incorrect. It's been proven time and again that it is the INGESTION (not the stimulation of taste buds) of carbohydrates that triggers the pancreas to release insulin. Do the research and, rather than cite unnamed sources, find a peer-reviewed medical journal, a registered nurse, or a doctor. These information is readily available and you can measure it yourself if you have a physician willing to work with you. Have your doctor take a blood sample prior to drinking a ZERO CALORIE diet soda and then another sample 10 minutes after drinking a glass. Insulin levels will not have changed. Stop posting crap and pseudo-science here.

Completely agree with this. Stopped drinking my usual big diet coke at lunch for a New Year's Resolution and my afternoon sugar cravings have completely been reduced.

I also never believed this, but now I am a convert. First, my whole life I have not eaten a lot of food and have been reasonably active. But always been 30 lbs overweight. Never been able to lose it. Always hit the dreaded "super plateau" about 15 lbs down. I also lived on Diet Pepsi for my life since being a teen. It is the only thing I drink.

Recently however, I finally heard a reasonable explanation for a diet drink slowing you down. It dehydrates you. It contains phosphoric acid and can actually use up 32 oz of water trying to clear one small can of Diet Pepsi. Water is H2o, so that means it contains oxygen which increases your metabolism. Say one diet drink and the associated water loss drops your metabolism by just 10% (1500 BMR), you don't burn 150 cals per day.

You can drink 64oz of water a day and have even one diet soda can destroy 1/2 of that effort. Add one cup of coffee and most of that water can be eliminated from your system.

I have never bought the "sweet taste" ='s insulin, because I have had my levels tested when I was taking 10 diet pepsi cans per day and never saw anything unusual.

Wow... lot's of good responses here and lot's of vitriol!!!! The harshest of these comments seem to be steeped in falacy that 'calories' make you gain fat. If I add 200 calories of fat or 200 calories of starch to my meal, which meal causes me to gain more 'fat' or 'weight'? According to all of you that assume Diet Coke cannot possibly make you gain weight because it has no calories, both of my meal choices should end with the same net result, right? Wrong. Weight gain and adiposity are dependent upon INSULIN, not calorie balance. Back to diet coke: when the body 'tastes' something sweet, regardless of whether or not it has sugars or any caloric density whatsoever, there is a cephalic phase insulin response and insulin is secreted, causing the food you are eating to be stored as fat or if you are drinking the soda alone, for much of your blood glucose to be scavenged and stored as fat. With that drop in BG, you get HUNGRY fast and your body is screaming for carbs.

Diet coke most certainly makes you fat. As does Stevia, as does Blue Agave Nectar, as does ANYTHING that adds an overtly sweet tasted to what you eat. You want sweet? eat an apple and some almonds. Slow gastric emptying from the almonds fat, nice fiber to slow down the process as well, and just what nature intended for you to eat. Or you could just eat that near formaldehyde crap in diet coke and stay fat. You make the call.

Well... until I see at least a SINGLE peer reviewed study showing that sugar, insulin, diet coke or whatever causes weight gain, as opposed to the widely accepted, scientifically sensible and proven "calories out < calories in = weight gain" then I will have to keep thinking you all are basically either trying to sell something, victims of terror management which if fair, and I really feel sad for you, or mixing in your personal dream of "sticking it to the man" with actual scientific studies.

IT IS SIMPLE

calories in calories out = weight gain

insulin can't make the body store energy as fat, if there IS NO SURPLUS energy...

I mean.. for people swinging around stuff like "experts" and "google is your friend" etc. you should at least freggin have read some basic stuff on clinical nutrition, basic micro anatomy etc. it is all pretty basic and simple and it'll save you from making a complete ass of yourself.

now say it with me:

insulin can only make the body story energy that is actually there as fat, not non-existant energy.

tastebuds doesn't control hormone release, at least not this hormone, ingestion does.

nature doesn't INTEND stuff, nature doesn't give a fuck

your body can't SCREAM for carbs, and even if it could, you could just ignore it.

ffs... go read books instead of watching televangelists and piss poor new age "healers"

I know by trial and error, when I stop drinking diet soda I lose bloat after the first week. Whatever the reason, I also find I don't crave sweets or carbs as much. The truth is in the pudding.

It's called willpower. Sure, if you like sweet things and you eat them, then yes, Diet Soda could make you fat. If you substitute a Diet Soda for a bag of M&Ms, then you will be skinnier-that's a fact.

The thing that so many people are ignorant to the fact that diet soda actually does NOT help you lose weight, is pure stupidity... It's been proven now, and on many Doctor related tv shows, and even my own doctor has said so. It's not about willpower, which obese people don't have much of btw, but it's about your bodies needs and what it will crave due to your body becoming confused.

I'm not going to post anything, but it would do some of you good to listen to what has already been proven as fact. It's the people that are ignorant to the facts that will remain fat the rest of their lives. So have fun.

June 13, 2005 -- People who drink diet soft drinks don't lose weight. In fact, they gain weight, a new study shows.

The findings come from eight years of data collected by Sharon P. Fowler, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio. Fowler reported the data at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association in San Diego.