diet soda and weight gain

Put down the diet pop! Can diet soda raise blood sugar? Yes it can.

If you think that drinking diet soda is better for you than drinking regular soda, you’re wrong. Calorie-free drinks made with artificial sweeteners may increase metabolic disorders such as Type 2 diabetes, a new study revealed.

Researchers reported that artificial sweeteners increased blood sugar levels by interfering with microbes in the gut.

People choose calorie-free artificial sweeteners and drinks because they think they won’t raise blood sugar levels like regular sugar. But studies suggest that artificial sweeteners actually increase the risk of obesity and diabetes.

The study was conducted by Eran Segal of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel.

“Our findings suggest that non-caloric artificial sweeteners may have directly contributed to enhancing the exact epidemic that they themselves were intended to fight.”

I remember once reading that your body reacts to the artificial sweeteners the same way as regular sugar. But this link to gut bacteria is interesting and how the sweeteners alter bacterial populations in the gut – the microbiota.

This study from 2011 had similar results, suggesting that artificial sweeteners trigger the appetite and boosted blood-sugar levels.

Stick to drinks with natural sweeteners – better yet – just plain water!

Do you order a diet pop because you want to save calories?

Well you may want to think again.

Diet soda, which has nearly no nutritional value, dangerously bloats waistlines and might boost blood-sugar levels, according to new studies.

People who drink diet soda experienced a 70 percent greater increase in waist circumference over a decade than non-users, a study by the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio found.

“The more diet sodas people drank, the more their waists grew,” researcher Sharon Fowler told the NY Post.

“For people who drink two or more diet sodas a day, their waist increase was five times those who drank no diet sodas — almost two inches.”

Wowsers! Why? Some scientists say that artificial sweeteners trigger the appetite, or inhibit brain cells that signal the feeling of being full. Another study found that aspartame, a popular artificial sweetener, boosted blood-sugar levels.

Both studies were presented at a recent American Diabetes Association conference in San Diego.

Professor Helen Hazuda of the university’s Health Science Center said that beverages that contains artificial sweeteners may increase the cravings for sweets, deform appetite and can even damage the brain cells.

The study, which involved nearly 500 men and women, found that even ingesting small quantities of diet soda had these effects. The results showed that the waistlines of those who consumed diet drinks expanded 70 percent faster than those who eschewed them in favor of other beverages, including regular sodas.

Frequent users (defined as those who drink two or more cans a day) saw a 500 percent greater increase in girth, Hazuda said. Consumption of diet sodas also increased blood sugar levels over time.

The results remained the same even when other factors such as exercise, social class, education and smoking were factored in.

diet soda and weight gain

Can Diet Soda Raise Blood Sugar? Yes it Can!

Diet Pop Can Make Your Belly Grow, New Study