Calorie-free and sugar-free beverages may seem like good and healthy substitutes for sugar-laden drinks, but studies are showing that artificial sweeteners used in diet sodas can actually confuse and even harm the body. Why is that?
▪ The artificial sweeteners in diet drinks can be very intense
and, over time, can dull the body’s sense of naturally sweet foods such as
fruit causing you to crave more sugar.
▪ These sweet substitutes have been shown to have the same effect on your body
as sugar by triggering the output of insulin which can cause the body to store
more fat leading to weight gain.
▪ Drinking diet soda is also linked to an increased risk for metabolic
syndrome: (http://www.idf.org/metabolic-syndrome)
the cluster of high blood pressure, elevated glucose levels, and high
cholesterol, which increases the risk for serious health issues such as heart
disease, stroke and diabetes.
Other concerns regarding artificial sweeteners include:
▪ The citric acid contained in diet sodas weaken and erodes
tooth enamel.
▪ Individuals who consume more than four cans of soda per day are 30% more
likely to develop depression than those who avoid sugary drinks altogether.
▪ Diet soda compound the problems associated with osteoporosis by reducing bone
density.
▪ Diet soda drinkers are 43% more likely to experience a stroke or heart attack
than those who drink none.