Glucose, or sugar, is your body's main source of energy. However, too much glucose in your bloodstream can put you at risk for the development of the potentially life-threatening disorder called diabetes. Diet sodas do not contain sugar and cannot directly elevate your blood glucose. Still, their use may adversely affect your health in other ways.
Blood Glucose
Artificial sweeteners are used in diet sodas as replacements for sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Unlike corn syrup and sugar, these artificial replacements do not contain carbohydrates, which your body converts to glucose in your bloodstream. As a result, drinking sodas that contain these sweeteners will not directly affect your blood sugar levels. Common examples of non-glucose-raising artificial sweeteners include saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, neotame and acesulfame-K. These substances are all far sweeter than sugar, and also contain no proteins or fats. For these reasons, individuals seeking to lose weight often include them in their diet plans.
Metabolic Syndrome
Drinking artificial sweeteners may indirectly contribute to metabolic syndrome, a combination of risk factors---including high blood glucose, high cholesterol, abdominal obesity and hypertension---that can elevate your chances of developing diabetes, as well as heart disease, according to a study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. In this study, individuals who drank a single can of diet soda each day had a 34 percent greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome than those who did not consume diet soda. The authors of this study, including Lyn M. Steffen, Ph.D., of the University of Minnesota, did not determine whether the sodas themselves or the behaviors of soda drinkers account for these results.
Appetite Increase
When compared to sugar, artificial sweeteners may also produce effects that confuse your brain's ability to accurately gauge your calorie intake, the Harvard School of Public Health reports. Normally, when you eat or drink something that contains sugar, your brain responds by first increasing your appetite and then gradually tapering off your hunger levels. Artificial sweeteners, on the other hand, may trigger your appetite without producing an appropriate corresponding shut-off signal. As a result, you may inadvertently take in extra calories and gain weight.
Recommendations
To avoid any potential problems, the Harvard School of Public Health recommends that you only use diet sodas in small amounts for limited periods of time, as part of an overall effort to lower your sugar intake. Since no one knows the effects of long-term diet soda consumption in children, the school also recommends that you do not give diet sodas to your child.
Considerations
Over the years, numerous anecdotal reports have implicated artificial sweeteners in the development of cancer and other serious health problems, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, there is no evidence that any sweetener available on the U.S. market causes the reported problems, and consuming artificial sweeteners will not directly harm you. The only exception to this rule is aspartame, which contains an amino acid called phenylalanine. In rare cases, consumption of phenylalanine can significantly worsen the effects of a hereditary disease called phenylketonuria, or PKU.
References
- Discovery Health: How Diabetes Works (Page 1)
- Harvard School of Public Health: Sugary Drinks or Diet Drinks; What's the Best Choice?
- American Heart Association - Circulation: Dietary Intake and the Development of Metabolic Syndrome
- The New York Times: Symptoms; Metabolic Syndrome Is Tied to Diet Soda
- The Mayo Clinic: Artificial Sweeteners; A Safe Alternative to Sugar? (Page 2)
