Why you should quit drinking diet soda

June Lands · ‎11-13-2014

There are few foods on the planet that offer absolutely zero nutritional value, and soda falls into this category. I'm always surprised at how many people ask me if diet soda is really that bad for you. If you're not convinced, it's time to get the facts and understand the real risks that come along with this unhealthy habit.

It messes with your skin: Studies have shown that a regular soda habit has been linked to accelerated aging. If the long-term effects aren't enough to scare you, diet soda lowers your pH levels, which can cause acne and leave your skin looking dull and tired.

It alters your mood: The aspartame found in diet soda has been linked to headaches, dizzy spells, and even mood swings. It's especially potent in people with a predisposition for anxiety or depression.

It leads to weight gain: A University of Texas Health Science Center study found that the more diet sodas a person drank, the greater their risk of becoming overweight. Downing just two or more cans a day increased waistlines by 500 percent.

It increases your risk of heart attack: One University of Miami study found that folks who drank diet soda every day were 44 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack than those who abstained from drinking soda.

It ups your chances of developing diabetes: People with a daily soda habit (even just one or two per day) were more than 25 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than individuals who had no more than one sugary drink per month.

If you're ready to quit for good and reclaim your health, learn how to break your soda addiction. It may seem tough, but it is possible!

June Lands · ‎11-13-2014

I use to drink about 7-8 cans a day. About two years ago, I quit drinking diet soda totally .. at the time for my bones...( now the new info makes it even more important to quit drinking!) and now just brew a big pot of decaf herbs teas enough to last about two days. I drink it hot or cold depending on the season and sweeten with stevia. No more diet soda for me. I do not miss it at all.

brii · ‎06-20-2010

I quit a few years ago. It was very difficult for me. I had been drinking it for years.

It made a huge difference in how I felt, looked, and slept.

Every once in a while I crave pop, but I just have a regular one.

culebra · ‎03-11-2010

I gave up diet coke years ago also and switched to water. Occasionally I have a Diet Pepsi. Sometimes I just crave the carbonation. If you commit to drinking eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day, you will not crave diet pop anymore.

My skin is better, I sleep better, and I do not retain water anymore.

brandiwine · ‎03-11-2010

Diet or regular soda is bad. I've cut back a ton and am close to getting to that 1 a month or none.

Tissyanne · ‎12-07-2012

Diet soda is not sugary, yet your statement about type 2 diabetes states "sugary drink".

sidsmom · ‎11-25-2011

I just posted on another thread about water. All these people replacing diet/regular soda with artifically-enhanced 'water' thinking they're doing much better...but they're not. MSG, aspartame, chemicals lurk in these 'waters'.....but what's upsetting is, they're marketed as 'healthy'. Manufacturers are super sneaky about chemicals...Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. Sad.

June Lands · ‎11-13-2014

On 1/30/2015 Tissyanne said: Diet soda is not sugary, yet your statement about type 2 diabetes states "sugary drink".

It's long been known that sugar-sweetened drinks raise a person's risk of Type 2 diabetes. But now, a new study from French researchers at Inserm suggests sugar-free diet drinks could also play a role.

The research, to be published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows an association between consumption of "light" or diet soda and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.

The study involved 66,118 women, whose beverage habits were tracked over 14 years. The women self-reported their consumption of 100 percent juice, sugar-sweetened drinks and artificially sweetened drinks.

By the end of the study period, 1,369 of the women were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that on average, the women consumed more diet drinks than sugar-sweetened drinks -- 328 milliliters each week of sugar-sweetened beverages and 568 milliliters each week of artificially sweetened beverages.

Both diet and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was linked with a higher risk of developing diabetes, researchers found. But interestingly enough, when comparing diabetes risk between the diet soda drinkers and regular soda drinkers, the diet drinkers had an even higher risk of diabetes.