The world of diet and zero-sugar sodas can be confusing. Are they truly different? Is it just marketing? Let's explore the nuances between Sprite Zero and Diet Coke, examining their ingredients, potential health effects, and how they stack up in the broader world of sugar-free beverages.
Decoding Diet and Zero-Sugar Sodas
The primary distinction between diet and zero-sugar sodas often lies in their artificial sweetener composition. Diet sodas commonly use aspartame, while zero-sugar versions frequently combine acesulfame potassium with other artificial sweeteners. However, this can vary across brands. Many companies are replacing diet drinks with zero-sugar alternatives, perhaps to appeal to a broader audience beyond dieters or to create a flagship zero-sugar product.
Ingredients and Nutritional Profiles
Diet soda is a mixture of carbonated water, artificial or natural sweetener, colors, flavors, and other food additives. It usually has very few to no calories and no significant nutrition. For example, one 12-ounce (354-mL) can of Diet Coke contains no calories, sugar, fat, or protein and 40 mg of sodium (1).
While recipes differ from brand to brand, some common ingredients in diet soda include:
- Carbonated water: Most sodas are made by dissolving carbon dioxide into water under pressure.
- Sweeteners: These include common artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, or an herbal sweetener like stevia, which are 200-13,000 times sweeter than regular sugar.
- Acids: Certain acids, such as citric, malic, and phosphoric acid, are used to add tartness to soda drinks and are linked to tooth enamel erosion.
- Colors: The most commonly used colors are carotenoids, anthocyanins, and caramels.
- Flavors: Many different kinds of natural juices or artificial flavors are used in diet soda, including fruits, berries, herbs, and cola.
- Preservatives: These help diet sodas last longer on the supermarket shelf. A commonly used preservative is potassium benzoate.
- Vitamins and minerals: Some diet soft drink manufacturers add vitamins and minerals to market their products as healthier no-calorie alternatives.
- Caffeine: Just like regular soda, many diet sodas contain caffeine. A can of Diet Coke contains 46 mg of caffeine, while Diet Pepsi contains 35 mg (1, 6).
Coke Zero, recently rebranded as Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, is marketed as a healthier version of the original sugar-sweetened beverage, Coca-Cola Classic. It contains zero calories and sugar while providing the signature Coca-Cola flavor, appealing to those trying to reduce their sugar intake or control their weight.
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One 12-ounce (354-ml) can of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar (Coke Zero) offers:
- Calories: 0
- Fat: 0 grams
- Protein: 0 grams
- Sugar: 0 grams
- Sodium: 2% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Potassium: 2% of the DV
Artificial sweeteners are used to sweeten this beverage without adding calories. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar (Coke Zero) uses several common artificial sweeteners, including aspartame and acesulfame potassium (Ace-K). The remaining ingredients are carbonated water, caramel color, food additives, and natural flavors. The only differences between Coke Zero and the new rebrand Coca-Cola Zero Sugar are minor changes to the natural flavor composition.
The Great Taste Test: A Matter of Preference
Taste is subjective. Some prefer the sharper, more acidic flavor of Diet Coke (which relies solely on aspartame), while others find the blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium in Coke Zero Sugar more appealing, as it aims to mimic the taste of classic Coca-Cola. Personal taste preferences reign supreme. Experimenting with different brands and formulations is the best way to discover your favorite.
Potential Health Implications
Despite being calorie-free, the health effects of diet drinks and artificial sweeteners are controversial.
Weight Management: Observational studies have found that using artificial sweeteners and drinking high amounts of diet soda is associated with an increased risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Scientists have suggested that diet soda may increase appetite by stimulating hunger hormones, altering sweet taste receptors, and triggering dopamine responses in the brain. Given that diet soft drinks have no calories, these responses may cause a higher intake of sweet or calorie-dense foods, resulting in weight gain. However, evidence of this is not consistent in human studies. Experimental studies do not support the claim that diet soda causes weight gain. In fact, these studies have found that replacing sugar-sweetened drinks with diet soda can result in weight loss. However, to add to the confusion, there’s evidence of bias in the scientific literature. Studies funded by the artificial sweetener industry have been found to have more favorable outcomes than non-industry studies, which may undermine the validity of their results. Overall, more high quality research is needed to determine the true effects of diet soda on weight loss.
Read also: Nutritional Facts: Diet Sprite
Diabetes and Heart Health: Research has found that just one serving of an artificially sweetened drink per day is associated with an 8-13% higher risk of type 2 diabetes. A study in 64,850 women noted artificially sweetened drinks were associated with a 21% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. However, this was still half the risk associated with regular sugary drinks. Other studies have observed similar results. Conversely, a recent review found that diet soda is not associated with an increased risk of diabetes. Also, another study concluded that any association could be explained by the existing health status, weight changes, and body mass index of participants. Diet soda has also been linked to increased risks of high blood pressure and heart disease. A review of four studies including 227,254 people observed that for each serving of artificially sweetened beverage per day, there is a 9% increased risk of high blood pressure. Other studies have found similar results. Additionally, one study has linked diet soda to a small increase in the risk of stroke, but this was only based on observational data. Because most of the studies were observational, it may be that the association could be explained another way. It’s possible that people who were already at risk of diabetes and high blood pressure chose to drink more diet soda. More direct experimental research is needed to determine whether there’s any true causal relationship between diet soda and increased blood sugar or blood pressure.
Kidney Health: Drinking diet soda has been linked to an increased risk of chronic kidney disease. A recent study analyzed the diets of 15,368 people and found that the risk of developing end-stage kidney disease increased with the number of glasses of diet soda consumed per week. Compared with those who consumed less than one glass per week, people who drank more than seven glasses of diet soda per week had nearly double the risk of developing kidney disease. A suggested cause for the kidney damage is the high phosphorus content of soda, which may increase the acid load on the kidneys. However, it has also been suggested that people consuming high amounts of diet soda may do so to compensate for other poor dietary and lifestyle factors that may independently contribute to the development of kidney disease.
Pregnancy: Drinking diet soda while pregnant has been linked to some negative outcomes, including preterm delivery and childhood obesity. A Norwegian study in 60,761 pregnant women found that intake of artificially sweetened and sugar-containing drinks was associated with an 11% higher risk of preterm delivery. Earlier Danish research supports these findings. A study in almost 60,000 women found that women who consumed one serving of diet soda per day were 1.4 times more likely to deliver preterm than those who did not. However, recent research in 8,914 women in England did not find any association between diet cola and preterm delivery. However, the authors admitted that the study may not have been big enough and had been limited to diet cola. It’s important to note that these studies were only observational and offer no explanation of exactly how diet soda may contribute to preterm birth. Furthermore, consuming artificially sweetened drinks while pregnant is significantly associated with an increased risk of childhood obesity. One study found that the daily consumption of diet drinks during pregnancy doubled the risk of a baby being overweight at 1 year of age. Further research is needed to analyze the potential biological causes and long-term health risks for children exposed to artificially sweetened sodas in the womb.
Other Potential Effects:
- May reduce fatty liver: Some studies have shown that replacing regular soda with diet soda can reduce fat around the liver. Other studies have found no effect.
- No increase in reflux: Despite anecdotal reports, carbonated drinks have not been found to make reflux or heartburn worse. However, the research is mixed, and more experimental studies are needed.
- No strong links to cancer: Most of the research on artificial sweeteners and diet soda has found no evidence it causes cancer. A slight increase in lymphoma and multiple myeloma in men was reported, but the results were weak.
- Changes to the gut microbiome: Artificial sweeteners may alter the gut flora, leading to reduced blood sugar control and potentially increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes. One study found all of the six tested artificial sweeteners damaged the gut microbiome in various ways. Another found the way people’s gut flora reacted to artificial sweeteners was highly individualized.
- Increased risk of osteoporosis: Diet and regular cola is associated with bone mineral density loss in women, but not in men. The caffeine and phosphorus in cola might interfere with normal calcium absorption.
- Tooth decay: Like regular soda, diet soda is associated with dental erosion due to its acidic pH level. This comes from the addition of acids, such as malic, citric, or phosphoric acid, for flavor.
- Linked to depression: Observational studies have found higher rates of depression among those who drank four or more diet or regular sodas per day. However, experiments are needed to determine whether diet soda is a cause.
Artificially sweetened beverages like Coke Zero have been linked to other health issues, including:
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- Increased risk of heart disease: An observational study found a link between artificially sweetened beverages and an increased risk of heart disease among women with no prior history of heart disease.
- Increased risk of kidney disease: Soda’s high phosphorus content may damage kidneys. A 2017 study noted that those who drink more than 7 glasses of diet soda per week nearly double their risk of kidney disease.
- Could alter your gut microbiome: Artificially sweetened beverages may alter your gut microbiome, potentially negatively affecting blood sugar management.
The Conflicting Evidence: Why It's Hard to Draw Conclusions
Research on diet soda has produced a lot of conflicting evidence. One explanation for this conflicting information is that most of the research is observational. This means it observes trends, but there’s a lack of information about whether diet soda intake is a cause or simply associated with the true cause. Therefore, while some of the research sounds quite alarming, more high quality experimental studies are needed before concrete conclusions can be drawn about the health effects of diet soda.
Making an Informed Choice
Diet soda does not add any nutritional value to your diet. If you’re looking to replace regular soda in your diet, other options may be better than diet soda. Water, sparkling water with fruit infusions, or unsweetened tea are healthier alternatives. If you choose to consume diet soda, moderation is key.
Coke Zero: Is It a Healthier Choice?
Coke Zero is calorie-free but has no nutritional value. While drinks with artificial sweeteners may have negative long-term effects, such as increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, more research is needed. Coke Zero does not add nutritional value to your diet, and the long-term effects of drinking diet sodas are still unclear.