8 Dangers of diet sodas

Almost half of the population, in the US alone, drinks at least one soda every day, despite everything we know about the negative health effects of this craving. Of course, many of us think that we are doing well by opting for a diet soda instead. After all, it’s the sugar that’s the problem, right?

8 Dangers of diet sodas

Unfortunately, while sugar causes a host of health problems, it’s not the only nasty ingredient lurking in carbonated beverages. Here’s why diet sodas aren’t the healthy alternative they tout they are

1. Causes headaches and other symptoms

Another artificial sweetener used in diet sodas, sucralose, can cause a number of health problems including headaches.
Made from a modified sugar molecule, sucralose is supposed to pass through the body without being absorbed. Because sucralose is relatively new to the market yet, its long-term effects have not been measured. Some evidence suggests that sucralose can cause migraines , gastrointestinal problems, and thymus gland damage. Sucralose can also intensify sugar cravings, increase appetite, and trigger insulin release.

2. Acidifies

Diet soda is made up of a number of acidic chemicals. It is one of the most acidic substances that humans ingest . The acids in diet soda demineralize bones and teeth, and can lead to fractures and osteoporosis . Acid in the body can also lead to a number of health conditions such as inflammation and corrosion of body tissues. When your body is too acidic, the skin will not be as beautiful or youthful.

3. Diet sodas contain caffeine

Many diet sodas contain caffeine, which is an artificial stimulant and an addictive substance. Caffeine also excessively aggravates the liver and can hamper its ability to cleanse and filter toxins from the body. Additionally, caffeine can trigger high levels of cortisol , which are stress hormones, which can lead to chronic stress and weight gain. Caffeine is also a diuretic, which dehydrates the body. It is best to avoid caffeine in all its forms, particularly diet sodas.

4. Increases the risk of obesity

Studies show that although diet soda has no caloric value, it can have an impact on insulin similar to ingesting sugar. This is most likely due to the cephalic phase that insulin responds to in the brain. When you taste the sweet diet soda, the body perceives it as sugar and causes the pancreas to release insulin just as it would if you were consuming real sugar.

Some studies show that drinking diet sodas can increase the incidence of obesity and / or prevent you from losing weight. In fact, researchers at the University of Texas Health Center have made some surprising discoveries when testing the relationship between obesity and diet soda.

The risk of obesity has increased as follows:

• 26.5 percent for people drinking up to ½ can of diet soda per day, and
• 24 percent for regular soda drinkers who consume up to one can per day
• 54.5 percent for one to two cans of diet soda per day compared to the
• 32.8 percent of those who drank the same amount of regular soda
• 57.1 percent for people who drink more than two cans of diet soda per day compared to 47.2 percent for people drinking the same amount of regular soda

In other words, the consumption of diet sodas had a higher correlation with obesity rates than the consumption of calorie sodas containing sugar or high fructose corn syrup .

5. Increase toxic load

There is not much that is natural in diet soda. Here are just a few of the toxic ingredients from the food industry that you can find:

• Carbonated water
• Artificial colorant
• Phosphoric acid
• Potassium benzoate
• Citric acid

It doesn’t sound that delicious and healthy, does it? It sounds disgusting, and that’s because it really is a disgusting product. Diet soda places a considerable toxic load on your liver and can contribute to toxic sludge in your intestines. You are much better drinking pure, filtered water, not plain water.

6. Increases the risk of heart disease

A study from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine showed that people who drank diet sodas daily had a 61 percent higher risk of a cardiovascular event. The study followed more than 2,500 participants for nine years, during which 559 had vascular events. Even taking into account age and other risk factors, the risk with diet soda consumption appeared to be at least 48 percent higher. With that kind of risk, why take the risk with diet soda?

7. May contribute to metabolic syndrome

A 2008 University of Minnesota School of Public Health study linked diet soda to metabolic syndrome, a set of metabolic disorders such as obesity, high blood pressure , elevated triglyceride levels, and hormone resistance.

According to the study, consuming diet sodas increased the risk of developing metabolic syndrome by 34 percent, which was greater than the increased risk of consuming two other unhealthy types of food – meat (26 percent higher risk), and fried foods (25 percent higher risk).

8. Diet sodas are neurotoxic

While artificial sweeteners may be a zero calorie alternative to sugar, they are by no means healthy. Diet sodas can use a variety of artificial sweeteners in place of sugar, including aspartame , which acts as a neurotoxin.

Also known as NutraSweet , Aspartame originally received FDA approval for use in carbonated beverages in 1983, and it still remains the most commonly used sweetener in diet sodas. Yearly, aspartame reactions are in the majority of adverse reaction reports in the Food and Drug Administration.

Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar and contains negligible calories. Once in the human body, aspartame breaks down into phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and methanol. Methanol is a wood alcohol poison that, when heated above 86 degrees Fahrenheit (human body temperature is 98.6 degrees), turns into formaldehyde. Aspartame is also an excitotoxin that accumulates in the brain, and it can excite neurons in the brain to the point of cell death.

Aspartame also leads to depression, which is a perfect environment for heart problems. Depression also supports habits that lead to cardiovascular disease, such as lack of physical exercise, smoking, and alcohol abuse.

It leads to many other health risks, such as:

• Seizures
• Stomach ache
• Aggression
• Hyperactivity
• Headaches
• Alzheimer’s
• Dizziness
• Lupus
• Fibromyalgia
• Anxiety
• Personality changes
• Difficulty controlling diabetes
• ALS

Another interesting fact is that about 75% of all food complaints the FDA receives annually are related to aspartame. So, if you’re a big fan of carbonated drinks, at least go for the regular variety.

With all these health risks, you have to ask yourself, is diet soda worth it? Avoiding diet sodas can be one of the best things you can do for your health and beauty.