As people become more and more concerned about their health, they have been turning to low-cal, sugar-free and fat-free options. Diet soda has become increasingly popular over the past ten years as sales have skyrocketed, with a much younger crowd being targeted by rows upon rows of vending machines in public schools. Young girls are indoctrinated into drinking diet sodas by their mother at an early age to "maintain their figure".
Obviously, nobody (with the exception of soda manufacturers or the scientists they pay to do "research") would try to argue that regular soda is good for you, but there seems to be a general consensus that the occasional regular soda won't do you much harm.
\"Diet Patch\"
However, when we take a look at diet soda, the world seems to be full of questions about how safe it really is, with a lot of rumors and misinformation being spread around.
With the University Library database at my fingertips, I decided to do some serious research into some of the stories you read about soda floating around the internet, to sort through what was fact and what was fiction.
We will take a look at some of the ingredients, such as aspartame, sodium benzoate and caffeine. The US government labels these items "G.R.A.S.", or Generally Recognized As Safe. Somehow, that particular phrase doesn't really inspire a lot of confidence in me - that sounds like some fancy marketing term for "this probably won't kill you". I think that after reading this article you may think twice about grabbing that can.
Aspartame: Calorie Free At A Cost
Aspartame is one of the most common "zero calorie" sweeteners, featured in over 6000 products including foods, beverages and pharmaceuticals. It was approved by the FDA in 1981 for limited use, in 1983 for beverage use, and finally in 1996 for general food use. It has seen a great surge in popularity over the past few years as people look to eliminate sugar and other carbohydrates from their diets.
In the United States, the acceptable daily intake of aspartame is considered to be 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. This means a 120 pound female should be able to consume over 2,727 milligrams per day without adverse effects. A 12 ounce can of diet soda has roughly 180 milligrams of aspartame, so this translates to a little over 15 cans of diet soda per day.
In the past several years, studies have been done with laboratory rats that showed a correlation between high intakes of aspartame and lymphomas, leukemias and mammary tumors. The study showed that concentrations of 2,000 ppm (parts per million) of aspartame increased the risk of cancer from around 18.7% to 31.4%. These levels are the equivalent of a 120 pound adult consuming approximately 12 cans of diet soda per day.
A recent update to the study look more closely at the risk of fetal and prenatal exposure to aspartame, which showed that it could be even more dangerous to the very young or those who are pregnant. A conclusion was reached that aspartame is a multipotential carcinogen at a daily dose of 20 milligrams per kilogram. Now we are talking about that same 120 pound woman drinking only 6 cans a day to see adverse effects.
Studies have not yet shown a link between human cancer and aspartame, however the studies that have been done on humans did not look at prenatal and fetal exposure, and it is thought that there is some danger, which is frightening because many of these aspartame-containing products are aimed at women of childbearing age and young children.
Another thing one often hears about aspartame is the fact that is produces methanol as a metabolite when broken down by the body. This gets a little scary when you find the metabolites for methanol include formate and formaldehyde.
A study was published in 2002 that analyzed the breakdown of aspartame to formaldehyde in rats which suggests that the amount of formaldehyde created by "abuse" doses of aspartame is harmless to humans. I think the important word in that last sentence is suggests.
Another question raised about aspartame is "will this product actually help you lose weight?" Many studies have shown links between artificial sweetened consumption and weight gain. How can this be? Scientists believe several things may be happening here.
The first theory is that the body becomes confused, as it associates caloric intake with certain flavors. The idea is that the body tells itself to stop eating when it has consumed enough of a certain flavor, and using the artificial sweeteners causes the body to eat more sweets than it needs because it has disassociated sweetness with providing lots of calories (energy).
Another concept is that some people have a reaction to the aspartame that causes food cravings, especially carbohydrates. Studies have shown that rats given liquid food containing artificial sweeteners ate more high-calorie sweet foods than those not consuming the artificial sweeteners.
So the conclusion for now - aspartame may be safe in low levels, but it is clear further studies need to be done. It does seem that young children and those who are pregnant or planning to be pregnant should probably steer clear of any products containing aspartame. If you are really serious about your health, soda should really be an occasional treat - and if it is, a few calories worth of sugar isn't going to do you any real harm.
Sodium Benzoate -> Benzene?
When potassium benzoate or sodium benzoate mix with ascorbic acid (vitamin c), under the right conditions they can create benzene, a known carcinogen. When the FDA did a study of 100 beverages, they found five that contained over the drinking water limit of 5 parts per billion: Safeway Select Diet Orange, AquaCal Strawberry Flavored Water Beverage, Giant Light Cranberry Juice Cocktail, Crystal Light Sunrise Classic Orange and Crush Pineapple.
The FDA maintains that there is no health risk, however the companies have already modified their formulas or plan to do so shortly. The presence of the two chemicals alone does not imply that benzene will be present, it is believed environmental factors such as heat and sunlight can affect the reaction.
Soda and Metabolic Syndrome
Soda in general has been linked to an increase in likelihood of metabolic syndrome, which can lead to chronic heart disease and type 2 diabetes. A recent study shows that even one can of diet (or regular) soda can increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome almost 50 percent in middle age adults.
Metabolic syndrome can also lead to high blood pressure, kidney stones, elevated triglycerides, liver disease, ovarian cysts and increased belly fat storage.
Caffeine: Toxic Energy?
I recently did a research paper for school on the effects of caffeine on the body. I was fascinated to learn how powerful of a drug it is, working on the dopamine receptors in the brain similar to the way that cocaine and heroin do. Dopamine, along with serotonin are the "happy" chemicals in your brain.
Many people do not realize that diet sodas tend to have more caffeine in them than regular sodas, and the acceptable daily intake per day is around 300 milligrams for a normal adult. This works out to around six 12 ounce cans (or around three 20 ounce bottles). Exceeding this level can cause caffeinism, whose symptoms include headaches, irritability, restlessness, high blood pressure and the "crash" feeling when it wears off.
Caffeine is by far the most abused drug in the world, with many people addicted to it without even realizing it. We have become accustomed to feeling energetic not by eating well and getting a good night's sleep, but by artificial "on-demand" means such as caffeine. While it is tempting to kick start the day with a gallon of coffee, excessive caffeine use will really just leave you tired in the end.
The Verdict?
Well I have to say, after writing this article there definitely seems to be a lot of evidence of some serious health risks associated with consuming diet soda. Does this mean they are harmful? There doesn't seem to be a lot of conclusive evidence yet but I suspect this may change over time as more studies are done.
The arguments the beverage companies are making with the FDA about safety are along the lines of "Hey - you can't prove this stuff is harmful to humans..." which again sounds like a lot of legal-ese for "we're getting away with something here".
So the final verdict? I'm thinking I'll stick with water and the occasional juice or tea. There are just far to many unknown factors here, and I suspect the big bucks of the soft drink industry have swayed more than a few influential minds at the FDA.
Sources Cited
Mead, M. Nathaniel. "Aspartame cancer risks revisited: prenatal exposure may be greatest concern.(Science Selections)(Clinical report)." Environmental Health Perspectives 115.9 (Sept 2007): A460(1). General OneFile. Gale. Eastern Michigan University. 19 July 2008
Soffritti, Morando, Fiorella Belpoggi, Eva Tibaldi, Davide Degli Esposti, and Michelina Lauriola. "Life-span exposure to low doses of aspartame beginning during prenatal life increases cancer effects in rats.(Research)." Environmental Health Perspectives 115.9 (Sept 2007): 1293(5). General OneFile. Gale. Eastern Michigan University. 19 July 2008
Gaby, Alan R. "Aspartame causes cancer in rats.(Cancer Prevention and Treatment)(Brief article)." Townsend Letter: The Examiner of Alternative Medicine 289-290 (August-Sept 2007): 64(1). General OneFile. Gale. Eastern Michigan University. 19 July 2008
"Soda Pop & Bone Health." Palaestra 17.2 (Spring 2001): 51. General OneFile. Gale. Eastern Michigan University. 19 July 2008
Oyama, Y., H. Sakai, T. Arata, Y. Okano, N. Akaike, K. Sakai, and K. Noda. "Cytotoxic effects of methanol, formaldehyde, and formate on dissociated rat thymocytes: A possibility of aspartame toxicity.(Author abstract)." Cell Biology and Toxicology 18.1 (Jan 2002): 43(8). Academic OneFile. Gale. Eastern Michigan University. 19 July 2008
Walton, Ralph G., and D. Eric Walters. "How sweet it isn't.(Letter to the editor)." Discover 26.10 (Oct 2005): 4(1). General OneFile. Gale. Eastern Michigan University. 19 July 2008
"Soda pop and weakened bones: how are they linked? (News Bites)." Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter 19.11 (Jan 2002): 3(1). General OneFile. Gale. Eastern Michigan University. 19 July 2008
Klotter, Jule. "Diet soda & weight gain.(Shorts)." Townsend Letter: The Examiner of Alternative Medicine 271-272 (Feb-March 2006): 40(1). General OneFile. Gale. Eastern Michigan University. 19 July 2008
"Keeping your pearly whites." Palaestra 21.2 (Spring 2005): 46(1). General OneFile. Gale. Eastern Michigan University. 19 July 2008
Is Diet Soda Safe? We Examine the Evidence
This Article Written By David Mitchell, A Dietetics Major At Eastern Michigan University. For More articles, plus Food and Exercise Log analysis, free blog hosting, social news, message forums all focuses around diet, health and nutrition check out: