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Diet drinks are a hotly debated topic in the fitness industry. Many people incorporate sugar free diet drinks into their weight loss plan, as it helps them stay sane through the tougher parts of dieting. Many experts claim they're harmless, other's say they cause cancer and contribute to global warming.
But what's the real answer? Let's turn to science - and see what the research says!
"Diet" Drinks
First, let's define a "diet drink" as any beverage containing low to no-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame-potassium, saccharin, and so on. These sweeteners are meant to taste as much like real sugar as possible - and some of them get close.
Sugar is a carbohydrate and contains 4 calories per gram. A typical 12 ounce bottle of soda with sugar contains between 30-50 grams of sugar, coming to a total of 120-200 calories per bottle.
There's been a ton of research done lately on the negative health effects of sugar and how it increases body fat, ruins your metabolism, and damages overall health. So it's natural to want to replace it with a different sweetener.
Artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, or acesulfame-k don't break down in the body, and as a result they don't contribute any calories. This can be a huge benefit for those of us who are looking to make some wiggle room in our diet.
But if they don't break down, does that mean they are bad? Let's look at a few common concerns about artificial sweeteners and what the research says.
Concern #1 - Diet Drinks Cause Cancer
This one is scary - and is probably a big reason why it caught on. Cancer is scary, and prevalent. Lot's of people get cancer. Unfortunately, the cause and type of cancer is as varied as the type of cells in your body. There is no single cause, type, or cure for cancer. So it's easy to say artificial sweeteners cause cancer - but it's very difficult to prove otherwise.
In fact, it's nearly impossible to say something "doesn't" cause cancer. You can't prove a negative. Scientific research isn't that easy. Instead, scientists use surveys and epidemiological research. This type of research is designed to find correlations and relationships between variables, not causality. For example, I can put together a poorly designed study to analyze the relationship of oxygen to the rate of cancer diagnosis. I'd expect to find a 100% correlation between cancer patients and breathing oxygen. That doesn't mean oxygen causes cancer.
There's a famous and widely reported study done some time ago that found aspartame, when given to mice, caused them to get cancer. This study immediately hit the media and caused a frenzy. Everyone latched onto it because it was a seemingly clear link between cancer and the unknown.
It was also discredited - but that doesn't matter. Once the frenzy caught on, it spread.
The study gave the mice 1000% percent more artificial sweeteners than could possibly be consumed by a human in a given time frame. Also, and here's the big one, they used mice who were GENETICALLY PREDISPOSED to getting cancer. These mice were BRED to be studied in cancer research, so it's no surprise they got it.
Another 2005 study from Italy that linked aspartame to cancer was so poorly done, they had to publicly apologize for doing it - and major research institutions had to apologize for promoting it.
It's a mess.
Consider this, though. Aspartame and artificial sweeteners are some of the most researched substances on the planet. If there was a direct link, it would be more apparent.
The general consensus, however, is that no - there is no clear link between artificial sweeteners and cancer. OF COURSE more research is needed, more research is always needed.
But if you want to drink a diet soda with your lunch, you're fine.
Concern #2 - Diet Drinks Make You Fat
Diet drinks do not make you fat.
Let's be very clear about one thing - the only way to gain weight is to increase your caloric intake above your metabolic needs. The energy balance equation is pretty solid on this one. What people usually mean is that diet drinks reduce your ability to LOSE fat when dieting. This gets a little more murky, but the answer is still: No.
Studies show that artificial sweeteners do not increase insulin, the hormone responsible for telling the body to store fat. Protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake will temporarily increase insulin (naturally, this is normal), but artificial sweeteners do not have the same affect. This means that food increases your insulin response, but artificial sweeteners do not appear to. A few poorly designed studies tried to suggest otherwise, but they had to combine the diet drinks with sugar to get any insulin spike.
THE PROBLEM is that many people grossly under-estimate their caloric intake, or just simply eat more because of the diet drinks. Basically, they eat too much to begin with, then eat more "because they had a diet soda". This can lead to the misconception that diet drinks make you fat.
Concern #3 - Diet Drinks Cause Headaches
Okay I won't lie, this one is a bit weird.
There doesn't seem to be a direct link, but lots of people report getting headaches after consuming certain artificial sweeteners. Scientists have found an interesting link though, but it's probably not what you'd expect.
Several controlled studies have attempted to find a link between diet drinks (mainly aspartame) and headaches. Though no strong link has yet to be found. However, several studies have agreed: People get headaches. Full stop.
Especially if they expect to get headaches.
That's about the extent of it.
But here's the weird and interesting thing once you dig deeper: Persuasion is a powerful tool. The CDC has reported that the majority of complaints from aspartame-related headaches have come largely from women between 20 and 60 years old. So maybe there's some gender-related or hormone link.
But, digging even deeper, some studies showed that complaints came from the same geographical LOCATIONS - especially after recent media exposure. This means that people who heard news reports about headaches and aspartame, reported getting headaches from aspartame.
In blind studies (where participants didn't know if they were given aspartame or a placebo), the placebo groups reported just as many headaches as the aspartame group.
Persuasion is a powerful thing.
However, this doesn't mean anything by itself. Aspartame may well cause headaches. Or it may not. Your mileage may vary.
Something to consider: Many diet drinks contain caffeine, which can cause dehydration, which can cause headaches.
Concern #4 - Diet Drinks Cause Cravings
Research Says: No - Probably Not
Because researchers look for correlations, it's not uncommon for diet drinks to appear largely in combination with obesity research. This often leads to the question: Are people obese because of diet drinks, or in spite of diet drinks? It's been widely thought that perhaps artificial sweeteners increase appetite, which can spur weight gain. But a few clinically controlled studies actually suggested the opposite.
One study looked at obese individuals in a metabolic ward who were free to eat anything they wanted, but were secretly given aspartame instead of sugar in their drinks. The results showed that the individuals consumed 25% less calories. And there was a slight increase in calorie consumption after the sugar swap back.
However, other studies have shown that replacing sugary drinks with diet drinks - when no other conditions were controlled - did not lead to weight loss. This means that if people still overeat, they'll gain weight. It's not a guarantee that swapping out sugar for artificial sweeteners will make you lose weight.
So What Are the Downsides to Diet Drinks?
First, let me make it clear: This article is not meant to persuade you to consume artificial sweeteners. It's just a look at what the research shows.
If you want to do your own research, I'd suggest starting here. A compilation of much of the available research and meta-analysis on diet drinks.
The only major downsides to diet drinks appear to be poor dental health. Diet sodas typically contain high levels of acid - which can damage your teeth.
The same thing applies to soda with sugar, though, and sugar makes it even worse.
In Conclusion
Artificial sweeteners don't cause cancer
Artificial sweeteners don't make you fat
Artificial sweeteners don't cause headaches
Artificial sweeteners don't increase cravings
If you think artificial sweeteners are gross, don't drink them.
If you want a diet drink, have at it. It probably won't hurt you and it's probably better than sugar.
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