The appeal of diet sodas is understandable – they allow you to enjoy a fizzy, refreshing drink without consuming any sugar or calories from the soda itself. For someone trying to lose weight or manage conditions like diabetes, ditching regular soda for a diet drink seems like an easy solution, right? 

Diet soda drinkers often justify it as a relatively harmless vice. However, numerous studies suggest diet sodas may not be as harmless as they appear. Here are Diet Coke’s devilish details…

#1 Diet sodas linked to belly fat…

A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that participants who drank diet soda gained almost triple the abdominal fat over 9 years compared to non-diet soda drinkers. The artificial sweeteners in diet sodas are thought to trigger insulin release in a similar way as sugar, which may lead to weight gain over time.

#2 Diet soda increases your risk of stroke, dementia, heart disease, and more…

Other studies have linked diet soda consumption to an increased risk of stroke, dementia, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease. A 2019 study found that drinking just two or more diet sodas per day increased the risk of heart disease among women by 23% compared to those who rarely drank diet soda.

#3 And let’s not forget about the cancer risk…

The artificial sweeteners in diet sodas like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose may have negative impacts on gut health and could be carcinogenic according to some research. A study on rats showed that drinking diet soda led to severe damage in the rats’ cellular defenses against inflammation, toxins, and cancer development.

#4 It’s extremely addictive…

Drinking sugary sodas develops the same dopamine-induced addiction patterns in the brain as other drugs. In an article published by The New York Times in 2021, one Diet Coke drinker commented that it was harder to quit drinking it than it was to quit smoking. 

In that same article, Ashley Gearhardt, an associate professor in the department of psychology at the University of Michigan, said if Diet Coke — or any diet soda — was a new pharmaceutical product and we were testing it for whether people are getting addicted to it, we would be very concerned.”

While it may feel socially acceptable to drink a diet soda because you appear to be “watching your calories,” we think there are great alternatives to this harmful “healthy” solution that don’t come with all of these risks…

If you’re in it for the caffeine, you can try herbal teas like this one on Amazon…

And of course, there’s always water, but if you’re not a fan of flat water, try a naturally-flavored sparkling water like this… 

While kicking the artificial sweetener habit can be difficult, the more often you replace that Diet Coke with a healthier alternative, the quicker your body can ditch the addiction. 

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