Sugar

It’s not the first time I’ve heard someone speak about the negative aspects of diet soda. In fact, not just the diet soda but the sweetener used in the production of said soda and other products. Fake sugar. Saves us calories, so how could it be bad?

On the one hand… there are numerous reports that studies are finding it harmful. Poisoning from the sweetener can mimic MS and other illnesses, causing misdiagnoses. One report notes that it suppresses serotonin which makes us crave carbohydrates. Other reports state that it messes up our metabolism, causes Metabolic syndrome, and breaks down into some pretty nasty toxins.

Metabolic syndrome includes risk factors for the increase of heart disease and diabetes. Such factors include abdominal obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood glucose levels.

To be fair, I flipped over to the people who support the alternative sweetener. They claim that it is perfectly safe and FDA approved. Of course, noting that these praises are coming from such places as The American Beverage Association and The Calorie Control Council, one has to wonder what they benefit from taking that stand.

They are quick to note studies that have deemed the sweetener safe. However, these studies are outdated, in my humble opinion. Current studies are just that… current. The studies they point to are in the late 1980’s to 2002- and I believe one in 2004. Even taking into account a study from 2004, that was 4 years ago. Research is ongoing and new things are learned all the time. What was safe in 2002 may no longer be as safe due to the knowledge we have gained through research.

I can’t help but think of a certain diet drug that was once tossed around like candy. It, too, was FDA approved. I don’t think anyone will forget the devastation it left behind. People got sick. People died. People are scarred for life. It was once a “safe” thing to put into our body.

One of the most recent studies was done by Purdue University. Their report was published in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience in Febraury of 2008. Their study showed that artificial sweeteners caused weight gain in the lab tests done. I don’t think we can turn a blind eye to such a recent study done by respectable researchers.

I drink diet soda all the time. In fact, I eat many things that are sweetened with artificial sweeteners. After doing the research and listening to what other people have experienced, I am going to pay closer attention to the products I purchase.

I won’t lie. Giving up diet soda makes me sad. Inside, I am rebelling like you would not believe. I don’t want to give up my soda. If I could paint a picture of how this makes me feel it would include a toddler throwing a tantrum. However, I was just doing the research myself, and I can not deny the things I’ve learned. I would no more eat a poison laced muffin if someone told me it was poisoned. Eating that muffin would be crazy. Continuing to ingest diet soda and other artificially sweetened products would be equally as crazy.

Farewell diet soda… I will mourn you, but I would rather hang out on the safe side and improve my chances at a healthy life.