When it comes to diet soda including drinks like coca cola and others, the impact on health is immediate and prolonged consumption of the same can lead to one developing various health conditions ranging from obesity to developing diabetes. The problem with fizzy drinks is twofold, one that it contains artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and the other is that the same is often sold to consumers as being effective in losing weight.
Negative effects of diet soda:
- Weight gain: Several studies have indicated that fizzy drinks confuse your body and as a result diet soda results in weight gain. The problem could be two-fold from the fact that most drinkers often imagine that they would not gain any weight from drinking diet soda and as a result, consume even more. While it is true that a single drink of diet coke contains fewer calories than regular coke, they still do contain calories. And when you overindulge in the same, this leads to appreciable weight gain.
- Higher cholesterol: Several studies have already indicated that fizzy drinks may play a contributing factor in increasing cholesterol levels although more detailed research needs to be done. The fact that these diet drinks can even lead to an appreciable increase in cholesterol levels only serves to increase the worry that diet drinks are anything but a lifesaver.
- Type 2 Diabetes: Diet coke and others alike are known to contribute to the rise in Diabetes 2 across the world. As you consume more diet soda, you effectively put on more calories while being under the assumption that you are not – and over prolonged periods, you soon develop type 2 diabetes.
- Zero calories: This is one of the common myths often associated with diet drinks; it is true that certain brands of diet drink do contain zero calories. But the problem is that these drinks do not bring anything else to the table whether it is in the form of nutritional value or anything else. As a result, you are essentially consuming water and that’s it. While water is good, replacing the same with fizzy water is not a good idea, not by any mark.
- Migraines and headaches: Aspartame has long been associated with headaches and migraines; it is this sweetener that is used often in fizzy drinks. Naturally, this begs the question, why on earth would you want to deliberately consume something that allows you to become susceptible to headaches and migraines?
- Dental: One of the most enduring myths often doing the rounds is that coke melts your tooth; while that may be a myth the fact is that all fizzy drinks do impact your teeth. Ask any dentist and they will tell you that drinking fizzy drinks daily can leave you looking like a bad movie extra.
These are some of the negative side effects that come with drinking diet soda and other variants, over prolonged periods of time. You need to take better care of your health and you may want to start off by saying no to fizzy drinks, in general.