Despite its growing popularity due to the word “diet” added to it, diet soda has no nutritional value and doesn’t provide you with any energy. On the other hand, instead of benefiting your weight, it actually leads to weight gain.
Although diet soda doesn’t contain any sugar, it is loaded with artificial sweeteners that are the main culprits. Drinking diet soda regularly can have negative effects on your bones, mental health, heart, and even your blood sugar.
Here are 5 health effects of drinking diet soda.
1. Increases Risk Of Heart Disease
Diet soda contains aspartame, an artificial sweetener, used instead of sugar. Higher intake of aspartame can lead to an increase in blood pressure, resulting in heart palpitations or even a heart attack.1
Aspartame has a vasoconstrictive effect on the body, making the blood vessels narrower and thereby increasing the blood pressure. According to a study, people who drank diet soda even once a day were twice as likely to have a stroke when compared to the people who drank artificially sweetened drinks less than once a week. On the other hand, the risk of stroke did not appear to raise in the people who drank regular soda.2
2. Leads To Weight Gain
You may drink diet soda because it is calorie-free. Unfortunately, drinking soda can lead to weight gain and not weight loss.
Drinking diet soda means aspartame consumption, which is linked to an increased consumption of unhealthy food.3 Some people may also try to compensate for the calorie intake by eating sweet and high-calorie foods. Artificial sweeteners like aspartame also disrupt the body’s ability to metabolize sugar.4
3. Increases Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
Consumption of diet soda every day can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome by 36% and type 2 diabetes by 67%.5 Artificial sweeteners can spike your insulin levels. So, if you already have diabetes avoid drinking any sugary beverages or even diet soda. Also, consult your doctor before doing so.
Another research found that drinking more than two sugary or artificially sweetened drinks per day can increase the risk of diabetes.6
4. Increases Risk Of Depression
Diet soda is linked to an increased risk of depression due to the artificial sweeteners. The study suggested that drinking coffee without sugar may reduce the risk of depression.7 However, the results remain unclear.
Reducing the intake of diet soda or artificially sweetened drinks can improve your mental health and prevent depression.
5. Makes The Bones Weaker
When your bone density is reduced, your bones become weaker. Drinking diet soda is linked to reducing the bone mineral density in the hips.8 Low bone mineral density is linked to an increased risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis.
Switch to healthier beverages which add a nutritional value for better health and prevention of diseases.
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