Facts About Diet Soda

Diet sodas are sugar-free, artificially sweetened, carbonate drinks marketed towards people who want to use less sugar and lose weight for fitness.

Different artificial sweeteners are utilized to enhance flavour of diet soda and some even use sugar with other artificial sweeteners. Opinion is mixed as far as flavour of these drinks is concerned. Many think that sugar drinks are best when it comes to taste. Many people say that diet drinks leave a chemical aftertaste. Others feel that diet soda has no unpleasant aftertaste and that drinks sweetened by high fructose corn syrup an over-sweet aftertaste.

Cyclamates were first among all the artificial sweeteners. Many had the opinion that these sodas had a better taste than diet sodasthat followed. Around 1970 the FDA put a ban on the use of cyclamates in the US. Cancer in lab animals was seen on its prolonged use. Even with that knowledge cyclamates are still in use in some countries around the world especially in diet soda.

Saccharin was in use by the American producers. But saccharin was believed by users have a chemical aftertaste. Coca-Cola produced Tab by adding a small amount of sugar. During 1977, the FDA was asked to put a ban on saccharin as a carcinogen, but a freeze was put on the ban while studies were finished. This was lifted in 1991, but nearly every diet soda had shifted to using aspartame which is now the most common sweetener.

Sucralose known as Splenda and Sunett or Ace K are new sweeteners in he market used with small amounts of aspartame, and other artificial sweeteners. Smaller beverage producers use these sodas.Consumers think aspartame to be the cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome type illnesses.

Most users comments that drinks with these sweeteners taste more like natural sugar.Complains are done by the critics about the taste and the risks that may occur from it’s long term use which is not recognised yet.

The effects of diet sodas in weight loss is neglected with the health concerns of sugar substitutes and overuse of caffeine.

Consumers who user of regular soda may have weight loss after switching to diet soda.Artificial sweeteners increases weight this shows the animal studies. The sweetness of the taste induces an insulin response, causing blood sugar to store in tissues but because blood sugar does not increase with artificial sugars, hypoglycemia can occur and people eat more at the next meal. Increased body weight and fat gain with the increased caloric intake resulted due to the sweeteners. 

So, the jury on how helpful diet soda is to losing weight is still out.