Fifty-nine percent of Americans consume diet soft drinks, according to the Calorie Control Council. NationMaster.com reports that the United States leads the world in soft drink consumption, with an average per-person consumption of 216 liters of soft drinks yearly. Calorie-conscious people often choose artificially sweetened soft drinks, teas, fruit drinks and water substitutes to satisfy a sweet tooth and avoid sugar, but diet beverages aren't without health risks.
Metabolic Syndrome and Weight Gain
Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors--including high blood pressure, excessive abdominal fat and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol--that significantly increases your risk of developing heart disease or stroke. Drinking diet soda poses a major health risk because it increases the risk of metabolic syndrome by 50 percent, according to a study by researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine published in the July 2007 issue of the journal Circulation. Drinking one or more sodas daily increased study participants' risk of obesity by 31 percent and increased their risk of developing high triglycerides by 25 percent. No difference existed between those who drank sugar-free or regular sodas, and researchers suggest that's because soda drinkers in general tend to have poor dietary and exercise habits that contribute to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome.
A study from Purdue University researchers reported in the February 2008 issue of the journal Behavioral Neuroscience confirmed the link between weight gain and diet soda consumption when they found that rats given artificial sweeteners gained more weight than those fed sugar-laden food. It's possible the flavor of the artificial sweeteners trick your brain chemistry, triggering weight gain, suggested Dr. Marie Savard, author of the Purdue rat study.
Tooth Wear
Artificially sweetened sodas contain citric or phosphoric acid, which erode and soften tooth enamel, making it more likely you'll develop cavities. If you fail to brush properly, the enamel erosion could eventually cause tooth loss, according to Colgate.com. To prevent tooth enamel erosion, reduce your sugar-free soda consumption, drink sodas with a straw and brush afterward with a fluoride-containing toothpaste.
Preterm Birth
Drinking a diet soda daily during pregnancy could raise the risk of preterm delivery. A study of 60,000 Danish women published in the July 2010 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported daily soda drinkers had a 38 percent higher risk of preterm delivery and women who drank four sodas daily had an 80 percent increased risk. Researchers believe that both sugar-free and regular soft drinks increase blood pressure, a known risk factor for preterm delivery.
References
- ABC.com: Study: Artificial Sweeteners Increase Weight Gain Odds
- NationMaster.com: Soft Drink Consumption Per Person
- Circulation; Soft drink consumption and risk of developing cardiometabolic risk factors and the metabolic syndrome in middle-aged adults in the community; Dhingra R et al.; July 31, 2007
- Colgate.com: Soda or Pop? It's Teeth Trouble by Any Name
- ABC.com: Guzzling Diet Soda Raises Premature Birth Risk
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