Diet Sodas Linked to Major Health Problems

A new study reveals that diet sodas are not a panacea for weight loss, and may be linked to health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

A researcher at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN, USA) conducted an analysis of 18 prospective cohort studies that looked at the impact of consuming artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) that contained high-intensity sweeteners, low-calorie sweeteners, and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin. The analysis specifically examined whether drinking diet soft drinks over the long-term increases the likelihood that a person will overeat, gain weight, and then develop other health problems.

The findings suggest that frequent consumers of sugar substitutes may also be at increased risk of excessive weight gain, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The researcher suggest a hypothesis that consuming sweet-tasting but non-caloric or reduced-calorie food and beverages interferes with learned metabolic responses that normally contribute to glucose and energy homeostasis. Because of this interference, frequent consumption of high-intensity sweeteners may have the counterintuitive effect of inducing metabolic derangements and overeating. The study was published in the July 2013 issue of Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism.

“The take-home message is for people to be much mindful of how much sweetener, whether artificial or sugar, they're actually consuming,” concluded study author professor of psychological sciences and behavioral neuroscientist Susie Swithers, PhD. “Paying increased attention to the ability of learning to modulate physiological and neural signals related to energy balance and metabolic regulation may improve our ability to understand circumstances under which reductions in the energy content of foods and beverages may lead to worsened and not improved health outcomes.”

“This is an opinion piece, not a scientific study,” responded the American Beverage Association (Washington DC, USA), the U.S. trade association for the nonalcoholic drinks industry. “Low-calorie sweeteners are some of the most studied and reviewed ingredients in the food supply today. They are a safe and an effective tool in weight loss and weight management, according to decades of scientific research and regulatory agencies around the globe.”

Related Links:
Purdue University
American Beverage Association