Dangerous... Diet Soda...

When we think of a product with the "diet" descriptor attached to it, we naturally assume that it would be a healthier choice for us than its non-diet counterpart.  This is not always the case, however.  In some cases, a "diet" option is not a healthier choice, and so must be avoided altogether.

With a rise in processed food consumption in general, there has also been an increase in sugar consumption that leads to obesity and various obesity-related diseases.  Most people are pretty familiar with this concept.  An example of this would be a marked rise in regular soda consumption, which greatly increases our sugar intake, and leads to obesity and other diseases such as Diabetes.  In following with this example, we don't often realize that diet soda can have similar effects on the body as regular soda.  What we sometimes don't understand is that the "diet" attached to a soda product name is actually a misnomer. 

There have been some studies showing that increasing the amount of artificial sweeteners you consume increases your desire for sugar.  Eating or drinking large amounts of sugar does lead to obesity and obesity-related disorders.  In addition, it has been noted that consuming significant amounts of aspartame produces a similar effect in the body that consuming sugar does by increasing sugar and insulin levels.  Sudden and rapid increases in insulin actually conditions your body to not respond to its increase, which is a symptom of the obesity-related disorder, Type II Diabetes.

Whether or not people who drink diet drinks regularly have an increased risk of Type II Diabetes across the board is still under investigation; however, it has been shown that this group of people is more susceptible to metabolic disorders which are often a precursor to Type II Diabetes.  The bottom line is that diet sodas can still be a risk. 

Perhaps this is a good time to begin cutting sodas and diet drinks out of your diet and replacing them with low-to-no sugar options?  There is not time like the present!  Remember that changing your health habits is up to you!

If you are interested in reading more about this subject, the following article will be helpful:
The truth about diet soda and diabetes: Diet soda increases the risk of diabetes