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Cade Wamsley
Professor Lisa Packer
English 1010
24 November 2015
Not All It Was Meant To Be: The Truth About Diet Soda
Nothing is better than an ice cold Coke on a hot day. You want a cold soda but with all
that sugar, you know its not good for you. The easy solution, a diet soda, it doesnt have any
sugar or caloriesproblem solved, right? Although some might say that diet soda is better for
you than regular soda, I disagree. Diet soda is just as bad, if not worse, for you than regularly
sweetened soda.
Sugary drinks are bad for us. It is not a big surprise for anyone. The Center for Science in
the Public Interest has an entire section dedicated to some facts about soft drinks. They state:

A soft extra drink a day increases a childs risk of becoming obese by about 60

percent.
Consumption of sugar drinksespecially more acidic carbonated drinks

promotes dental caries and erosion.

Men who consume one can of a sugared soda have a 20 percent higher risk of
having a heart attack or dying of a heart attack than men who rarely consume

sugared sodas.
People who consume sugar drinks regularlyone to two cans a day or more
have a 26 percent greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who
rarely consume such drinks. (Health)

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The evidence is staggering that the bubbly beverages of summertime are very bad for us! Yet
we cant seem to get enough of the stuff. In 2011, soda makers produced enough for every
American to have 45 gallons a year (Health). It is clear that America isnt going to give up its
favorite bad habit anytime soon. However becoming more health conscious, we ask is there any
way to avoid the sugar and still enjoy all the perks of the drinking soda? Diet soda was the
answer. It was first introduced in 1952, labeled No-Cal. Later by 1960, Coca-Colas, Tab
soda and Diet Pepsi were for sale in the United States. The popularity of calorie free soda has
been on the rise ever since as the healthy soda alternative (Blitz). The appeal of diet soda is
obvious and, honestly, it doesnt have any serious short term negative effects. The effect of
regular soda that most people are the most conscious of is obesity. In todays culture being
overweight is something most people want to avoid, enough that they might even consider giving
up their favorite soft drink, especially women (Blitz). The fix is diet drinks, all the deliciousness
of regular soda, with no calories, thus no chance of gaining weight. This sugar free miracle was
to be the fix to all of our problems. America could now enjoy guilt free soda. What could be
better? However hiding under the faade of a healthy beverage is the truth about diet soda.
Unfortunately, for America, diet soda isnt the answer to our health woes, and with new research
coming out, we have learned that diet soda could be more dangerous than ever imagined.
What are the health risks associated with diet drinks? Like with all soda, obesity is still a
problem, even with diet drinkers. Studies have shown that obesity and heart disease are also
increased in people that drank diet soda as opposed to regular (Vartanian). How is that possible if
it doesnt have any calories? The Harvard School of Public Health reports that, in the brain the
natural response for tasting sweetness, is that energy is going to be received. So when the brain
makes these calculations but no energy is received it messes up the brains ability to gauge the

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amount of calories needed to meet the energy your body requires; directly leading to overeating,
weight gain and obesity, which later become heart disease (Sugary Drinks). Aside from tricking
the natural response of the brain to sugar with artificial sweetener, there is many more risks
associated with artificial sweeteners. Lets look at a few of the artificial sweetening chemicals:
saccharine, the oldest of the artificial sweeteners dating back to 1879, was almost banned by the
FDA in the 1970s because of studies showing a relation to bladder cancer, but do to public
demands it was just required to have a warning label displayed with it. Newer, more popular
sweeteners today include aspartame and sucralose. These are not without health concerns of their
own. Aspartame, for example, is composed of aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. It is a
substance that doesnt occur naturally and when it is metabolized by the body, some scary
chemicals are made. When methanol is metabolized by the body it breaks into formic acid and
formaldehyde, which is the chemical used to preserve dead bodies. Needless to say it isnt very
good for us. There is concerns that aspartame has been shown to be the cause of cancer and other
diseases. Studies from 1973 to 2007, show that aspartame could lead to brain cancer, lymphoma,
leukemia and breast cancer. The results were not conclusive, and studies continue to be done.
Besides an increased risk for cancer, aspartame can cause other, more immediate side effects
such as headaches, dizziness, gastrointestinal problems, mood changes and even seizures, all
have been linked to the use of aspartame (Natterson 16-19). The nutritionist, Ryan Andrews,
makes a clear statement on aspartame The more aspartame we consume, the greater the
potential for our health to go awry (Andrews). Maybe we should stay away from the stuff
altogether.
I am not a health nut, but these findings make me question whether artificial sweeteners
should even be allowed by the FDA. Aspartame and saccharine definitely arent food that

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humans should be eating. The sugar in soda doesnt seem so bad, after reading the studies on
artificial sweeteners, considering high fructose corn syrup hasnt been linked to cancer. Maybe
the extra calories are a fair trade off. Although sugared sodas are definitely not healthy, I have
concluded from the facts that they are a better option than their diet alternative. At least with
regular soda, you dont have to worry about headaches, cancer, or seizures. The health risks of
obesity and diabetes are common among drinkers of both regular and diet soda and in the end,
the real stuff tastes better than the diet soda anyway. So if you are going to take the health risk
youre better off drinking the regular soda. There is always consequences with everything we do
and drinking soda, diet or regular, has its share of health consequences. Taking away the calories
doesnt make it any healthier. An occasional soda, diet or regular, isnt going to kill you but too
much of either diet or regular definitely will; so drink wisely and be conscious about what you
drink.

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Works Cited
Andrews, Ryan. All About Diet Sodas. Precision Nutrition. 20 April 2009. Web. 20 November
2015.
Blitz, Matt. "Who Invented Diet Soda?" Today I Found Out. N.p., 24 Sept. 2015. Web. 20 Nov.
2015.
Health Promotion Policy, comp. Facts on Health Risks of Sugar Drinks (n.d.): n. pag. 1 Feb.
2015. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
Natterson, Cara Familian. "Artificial Sweeteners." Dangerous or Safe? Which Foods, Medicines,
and Chemicals Really Put Your Kids at Risk. New York, NY: Hudson Street, 2009. 17-24.
Print.
Sugary Drinks or Diet Drinks: Whats the Better Choice? Harvard School of Public Health.
Web. 20 November 2015.
Vartanian, Lenny R., Schwartz, Marlene B., Brownell, Kelly D. Effects of Soft Drinks
Consumption on Nutrition and Health: A Systematic and Meta-Analysis. American
Journal of Public Health. Vol. 97. Issue 4 (April 2007):667-675. Web 20 November 2015.