Weight-Loss Is Diet Soda safe?

[FitMission]

I have always conceived that diet soda is safe to drink, and would not contribute to gaining weight because it has 0 calories. I would like to verify on this, because I'm unsure if that's really true. Does diet soda such as diet coke, diet pepsi, coke zero, etc. contribute to gaining weight/fat at all? I drink a lot, thinking it has no effect on me whatsoever.

 

[KaraCooks]

Define "safe".

The thing is, this is one of those personal decision types of things and isn't clear black & white, yes or no.

Some people are sensitive to artificial sweeteners and find that they cause bloating and or weight gain.
Some people find that consuming artificial sweeteners triggers sweet cravings that cause them to eat other fattening foods.
Some people believe that artificial sweeteners are simply bad for them.

Other people are fine with them in moderation.

You have to research the issue yourself and decide what YOU think is best for you.

I personally consume artificial sweeteners. I drink a Diet Coke 3x a week or so (usually for an afternoon pick-me-up). I use artificial sweeteners sometimes to sweeten my morning yogurt (if I don't want the calories from honey). I sometimes eat "diet" food with artificial sweeteners.

But those are choices I've made for myself based on how I know my body works. I have done my research and I make a choice to not eat a LOT of artificial ingredients. I try to be moderate in my approach.

 

[alphaX]

My hypothesis, based on what I have observed in my own diet, eating habits, and weight control is this:

Artificially sweetened drinks can not, in and of themselves, trigger an insulin response. To trigger a heavy release of insulin into the blood, both a sweet taste and energy content is required.

However.......... Aspartame, which is used as a sweetener in these drinks, provides the sweet taste. Anything you eat, while drinking these drinks, provides the energy content.


Q: Can eating a plain, skinless chicken breast and drinking a diet coke at the same time trigger a heavy insulin response?

A: I believe that it can.


But now we are getting into the area of big business...

 

[SteffiRoss33]

The simple answer is that with no calories it is impossible for diet soda to increase weight gain. Now there may be other chemical interactions at play, but no study to date has directly linked weight gain to diet soda. I did read however of a study awhile back that hypothesized that those who drink diet soda may tend to eat more at mealtime and hence gain weight. So eat more just because you are drinking a diet!