Diet Soft Drinks & Weight Gain

Because diet sodas are free of sugar and calories, it makes sense to think they shouldn't cause weight gain. However, the facts regarding the effects of artificial sweeteners on cravings suggest that diet sodas may not necessarily pack on the pounds, but they can lead you do things that might.

Significance

There is little scientific evidence to suggest that diet sodas are directly linked to weight gain. Studies such as that undertaken by the National Center for Biotechnology Information have concluded that while sugar intake does lead to weight gain, artificial sweeteners don't. However, similar research has proven that there is indeed a strong connection between artificial sweeteners and their stimulating effect on cravings for high calorie foods.

Function

Because diet sodas do not contain sugar, they rely on artificial sweeteners---aspartame, cyclamates, saccharin, sucralose and acesulfame potassium---to mimic the flavor of regular sodas. These sweeteners are free of calories and are 200 to 13,000 times sweeter than sugar. Research that involved feeding rats these substances showed that over time the rats' caloric intake increased. This is because, in animals, the brain begins to associate sweetness with calories. But, because sweeteners do not contain calories, the body does not get the energy it's expecting. The brain receives mixed signals and loses its ability to effectively judge how much has been consumed, a physiological confusion that leads to overeating.

Identification

Further research suggests that the actual taste of sweetness is addictive. According to a Princeton University's Psychology department study, which sought to determine the neurochemical effects of sugar intake, the dopamine system responds increasingly to regular stimuli associated with satisfaction, including those derived through consuming pleasant-tasting foods. Therefore, if you indulge in diet sodas often enough, your cravings for sweetness will increase and you may very well require more sweet-tasting food or liquid to feel satisfied.

Warning

Even if you drink diet sodas and stick to your eating plan without giving in to your cravings, there's still a chance that you could gain weight. This is because most diet sodas contain sodium. Some people with high metabolic rates are not affected by it, but others experience significant water retention.

Solution

If you're serious about your long-term weight loss goals, you should avoid regular consumption of products that weaken your willpower to the extent that artificially sweetened sodas will. Try to stick to healthier alternatives, such as fruit smoothies, vegetable juice, black coffee, green tea and ice water, saving the occasional diet soda as a reward for your healthy life choices.