With a growing awareness of caloric intake, many people are turning to diet soda as an alternative to regular soda. But what exactly is in diet soda, and how does it affect your health? This article delves into the nutrition facts of diet soda, exploring its ingredients, potential risks, and how it compares to regular soda and other beverages.
What is Diet Soda?
Diet soda contains similar ingredients to its regular counterparts, but with one key difference: it uses sugar substitutes instead of sugar. Common sugar substitutes found in diet soda include aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sucralose, and stevia. These substitutes provide sweetness without the calories of sugar.
The Sweetener Controversy: Aspartame and Sucralose
Alarmist headlines have dominated the media since the World Health Organization (WHO) released updated guidelines in May 2023 recommending against the use of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) to control body weight or reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases. Aspartame and sucralose, two of the most common NNS, have faced particular scrutiny.
Aspartame
Aspartame is an NNS approximately 200 times sweeter than table sugar and is widely used in diet soda. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an intergovernmental branch of the WHO, has classified aspartame as a Group 2B agent, meaning it is "possibly carcinogenic to humans."
However, it's crucial to maintain perspective. The IARC is not a food safety agency, and the Group 2B classification includes many other agents. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has established an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) for aspartame, which equates to about 21 cans of diet soda per day for an adult weighing approximately 180 pounds.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
Sucralose
Sucralose, another NNS, is 600 times sweeter than table sugar and is sold under the brand name Splenda. A 2023 study reported finding DNA damage from the use of sucralose. However, the headlines often omit that the study didn't reveal DNA damage from actual sucralose. Instead, researchers concluded that damage to DNA resulted from the use of sucralose-6-acetate, a compound formed in trace amounts after sucralose is consumed and metabolized.
The study was conducted in vitro (outside the body) using cells of human origin directly exposed to sucralose and sucralose-6-acetate in various concentrations. The direct exposure to intestinal cells occurred in the absence of intestinal bacteria, which does not perfectly replicate exposure to either compound in the body. The FDA states that the ADI for sucralose is 5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day, which equates to 31 packets of sucralose per day for an individual weighing 180 pounds.
Diet Soda vs. Regular Soda: A Calorie Comparison
One 12-ounce can of regular soda contains 10 to 11 teaspoons of sugar. Decreasing the amount of sugar in your diet is generally recommended by health care practitioners. Soda consists mostly of empty sugar calories and was ranked lowest among all beverage categories for health and nutritional value. Sugar in liquid form, such as soda, is particularly unhealthy, because our bodies do not seem to recognize the calories as much as when they are in solid form, which can lead to overeating. Sugar can also impair arterial function.
Diet soda offers a way to avoid these added sugars, but it's not without its own potential drawbacks.
Potential Risks of Diet Soda
Diet soda and the aspartame that sweetens it bring a different array of risks. The disconnect between sweetness sensations on the tongue and the lack of a caloric feedback loop in the gut may result in overeating. People consuming low or no-calorie sweeteners may eat more than they otherwise would because they believe they have saved enough calories to justify additional food intake. Frequent intake of diet drinks may increase depression risk among older adults, and individuals with mood disorders appear particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of aspartame. Aspartame may be the reason that diet soda consumption during pregnancy has been linked to premature birth. One study has reported a link between diet soda and multiple myeloma, likely because of aspartame.
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Other ingredients in soda, such as the caramel coloring used in many sodas, have been linked to cancer, a finding which has led to changes in soft drink formulation in California. Colas also contain phosphate additives, which appear to damage blood vessels, accelerate the aging process, and contribute to osteoporosis. Sodium benzoate, also found in some sodas, is harmful.
It is important to note that studies funded by the soda industry may be biased.
Coke Zero vs. Diet Coke: What's the Difference?
Coke Zero and Diet Coke are two popular diet soda options. Here's a comparison of their nutrition facts and ingredients:
Coke Zero Nutrition Facts
- Ingredients: Carbonated water, caramel color, phosphoric acid, aspartame, potassium benzoate (to protect taste), natural flavors, potassium citrate, acesulfame potassium, caffeine.
- Calories: 0
- Total fat: 0 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Total carbohydrates: 0 g
- Total sugars: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Potassium: 60 mg
- Caffeine: 34 mg
Coke Zero also contains the amino acid phenylalanine, so people with phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid it.
Diet Coke Nutrition Facts
- Ingredients: Carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate (to protect taste), natural flavors, citric acid, caffeine.
- Calories: 0
- Total fat: 0 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 0 g
- Total sugars: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Caffeine: 46 mg
Like Coke Zero, Diet Coke contains the amino acid phenylalanine, so people with PKU should avoid it.
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
Key Differences
The main differences between Coke Zero and Diet Coke are the type of sweetener they contain and their caffeine content. Coke Zero uses both aspartame and acesulfame potassium, while Diet Coke primarily uses aspartame. Coke Zero has less caffeine than Diet Coke.
Taste is another debatable difference. Coke Zero has been said to taste more like regular Coke, but some people feel differently and even prefer Diet Coke over regular Coke.
Potential Side Effects
For most, not many harmful side effects come from drinking carbonated beverages in moderation. However, caffeine and artificial sweeteners may negatively affect some people, even at moderate intake levels.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that adults have no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day. If you’re highly sensitive to caffeine, though, you may want to watch your intake of these beverages. Aspartame may cause headaches for some people, according to the American Migraine Foundation. In addition, some research has indicated that aspartame may be carcinogenic, but more long-term, high quality human studies are necessary before we can connect aspartame to cancer. Those who take a more cautious approach to ingredients in foods may want to avoid aspartame.
Healthier Alternatives to Diet Soda
If you're looking to decrease or eliminate soda intake but still crave something "bubbly," try these alternatives:
- Flavored sparkling water: Calorie-free flavored waters can be refreshing and hydrating.
- Kombucha: Kombucha is a probiotic-filled beverage that promotes healthy gut bacteria and is naturally fizzy due to the fermentation process.
- Probiotic sodas: Some brands of probiotic "soda" are similar to kombucha and have far less sugar.
- Stevia sodas: Several brands of fizzy drinks mimic popular soda flavors and contain no artificial sweeteners, using plant-based alternative sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit instead.
- Sparkling water: Sparkling waters provide carbonation without any sugar or artificial sweeteners.