Diet Sodas: The Bad News

I admit it, I drank Coke Zero throughout my pregnancy, and I still drink way too much of it. But here's some motivation to switch to club soda:

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Despite safety assurances from the FDA, the sweeteners found in diet sodas have been blamed for a wide variety of health concerns ranging from headaches, allergies and digestive problems to cancer and neurological disorders. A large, national study completed in 2007 showed that people who drank one or more servings of diet soda daily had raised blood glucose levels and a 67% greater chance of developing diabetes than those who did not drink them. A study presented in 2008 found an association between drinking diet soda and impaired kidney function. Of the 3,000 in the study, including 730 with diabetes, those who drank at least 2 diet sodas a day experienced twice the rate of kidney damage. Two recent, large studies have shown that drinking more or more diet sodas daily was associated with a 35% greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome -- the combination of high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipid (cholesterol and triglyceride) levels, insulin resistance and excess abdominal fat.

Reported by Mary Franz, MS, RD, LD, research dietician, the Department of Nutrition, Harvard University, in "Diet Soft Drinks, How Safe are They?" Diabetes Self-Management, March/April, 2010, p. 8-13.