AUG 14, 2018

Is Diet Soda Worse for You Than Regular Soda?

WRITTEN BY: Anthony Bouchard

When soda companies first debuted diet versions of their favorite sweet and carbonated drinks, they were all the rage. They promised to be healthier alternatives to their regular counterparts, but as the science now shows, that may not be the case.

After ingesting a sweet soda, your body naturally expects to receive large quantities of sugar. Consequently, the brain tells the pancreas to produce more insulin to store said sugar away for energy.

But when you drink a sugarless diet soda, the alternative sweetener still tricks the brain into signaling for insulin production. The result? Excess insulin production with no sugar storage that impacts your health in negative ways.

Research suggests that drinking too much diet soda induces a complication called metabolic syndrome, which comes with side-effects like increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, and weight gain, to name a few. Consequently, the body develops additional adverse side-effects, such as diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

If given a choice, then perhaps you should consider the non-diet alternative next time you reach for a soda.