Although diet drinks sound like they are good for you – they simply are not. They are full of additives, artificial sweeteners and other chemical compounds that are not good for your health, or even your waistline. So if you’re a big fan of diet drinks, then perhaps you should read the following.
1. The more fizzy drinks you consume, the greater the damage to your kidneys. In an 11 year study by the Harvard Medical School, it was found that consumption of diet cola increased the risk of kidney failure by 200%. What’s more surprising is that kidney problems were not linked to sugar-sweetened sodas. The researchers believe that the artificial sweeteners used in diet colas are the culprit.
2. Diet fizzy drinks have more unhealthy ingredients than regular counterparts. They countain mould inhibitors, which according to experts have the ability to destroy healthy cells. Such toxic compounds were also found to cause asthma, hives and other allergic conditions.
3. Scientific research proves that drinking diet drinks does not prevent obesity, but can in fact increase your waistline. Researchers found that 2 or more cans of dietary fizzy drinks per day increased the participants’ waistlines by 500%. Meanwhile, a study by the Purdue University showed that artificial sweeteners are capable of disrupting the body’s natural ability to regulate calories (the body thinks that it’s absorbing sugar so it craves more). As a result, people who consumed diet drinks and foods were more likely to overeat.
4. Soda drinks have a high acidity level (pH of 3.2) which is strong enough to damage your tooth enamel. The University of Michigan found that soda drinkers had more missing teeth, decay problems, and more fillings than those who rarely consumed sodas.
5. Fizzy drink cans are coated with endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA), which is a compound that has been linked to problems with reproductive health. It has also been shown to increase the risk of obesity and heart disease.
6. The University of Minnesota conducted a study that found that even just one can of any diet fizzy drink a day can increase a person’t risk of metabolic syndrome by 34%. This condition is a a major risk factor for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
7. The Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia conducted a study which showed that cocktails made with diet sodas can result in people getting drunk more easily. This is because sugar-free mixers enter the bloodstream much quicker than those that contain sugar.
8. Ordinary and diet fizzy drinks contain phosphoric acid (which is a weak acid that gives cola drinks their tangy flavour and extended shelf life). This compound causes the calcium to be excreted from your bloodstream (via urine) much quicker, therefore increasing the risk of bone loss.
9. High amounts of phosphoric acid also speeds up the ageing process, and a study published in the FASEB Journal found that rats that have high phosphoric acid levels died five weeks earlier than those that had normal levels.
10. Just last year, health experts petitioned the Food and Drug Administration in the US to ban the use of artificial caramel colouring in the processing of Pepsi, Coke and other brown colas. The move came after scientists revealed that the artificial colouring agent used in these beverages contains 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole which have been shown to cause cancer in animals.
So all this time we thought we were doing the right thing swapping our sugary, fizzy drinks for diet sodas……when all along they were harming our bodies. It is best to avoid all fizzy and diet sodas, and exchange them for a healthier alternative (such as water, juice or soda water).
This information was reproducted from www.naturalTherapyForAll.com – 2012.
It doesn’t stop there. If you would like to know more about artificial sweeteners, then click on the ‘Artificial Sweetener Blog‘ for more information.