Diet Drinks & Obesity

Ever since diet soda debuted, there has been raging debate about its ability to help with weight loss. Each regular 12 oz. can of soda delivers 140 to150 calories. On average, Americans end up consuming an additional 250 to 300 calories a day from carbonated beverages alone. This is all the more reason to pick a no-calorie option which allows you to have your cake and eat it too. Diet drinks have a distinctly different flavor due to the sugar substitute, aspartame.

Weight Gain

You may think diet drinks will help you lose weight. There is conflicting information about whether people actually lose or gain weight with regular diet soda consumption. The most commonly referenced study is the Heart Study done at University of Texas Health Science Center reported to the American Diabetes Association in 2005. While the 26-year study encompassed more than soda consumption, Sharon Fowler, MPH reviewed eight years of data and found those who drank diet soda were at a higher risk for obesity than those who drank regular soda. Diet soda drinkers were 65 percent more likely to become overweight and 41 percent more likely to be obese in the next eight years. Many media outlets took this small bit of information and used it out of context to state diet soda causes weight gain.

Limitations

The UT Health Science Center study left many questions. Just as with many sugar-free or fat-free diet foods, other considerations have to be made when you drink diet soda. You should look at your whole diet as well as your drink choices. It is possible those drinking diet soda see the no-calorie drink as an excuse to indulge in other high-calorie items, such as a candy bar or larger portion of fries. Those who are gaining weight or already overweight may be reaching for diet soda instead. These are psychological reasons linking diet soda to obesity and not physiological ones as implicated.

Sodium Intake

Sodium is another argument for increased weight gain. While diet soda has less sodium than regular soft drinks, the only nutritional item it contains is sodium. This could lead to an increase in thirst or hunger, stimulating a drive to overeat. While increased sodium intake is not a factor for weight gain on its own, there are other health consequences from salt, such as hypertension, heart problems and stroke. The American Heart Association reports daily diet soda consumption leads to a 61 percent increased stroke risk verses a non-soda drinker. While those who drink regular soda also have an increased risk, the largest risk groups are people who consume more than 4,000 mg of sodium a day, regardless of health status, which often includes people who drink diet soda regularly.

Considerations

While research continues to investigate diet soda and its influence on weight, it is important to be personally accountable. The only studies that show diet soda as part of a successful weight-loss diet are ones already following a reduced calorie-diet with occasional diet soda use to keep calories low. Eating more food because you had a no-calorie drink will not help you lose weight.

Research will continue to learn more specifically why diet soda has a stronger correlation to obesity. While weight gain is the main topic of argument, there is mounting evidence of the artificial sweeteners, aspartame and Splenda causing other problems in the liver and kidneys. The January 2011 issue of the "Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology" found women who consumed more than two diet sodas a day had twofold risk for decreased kidney function.