Everyone has an opinion on whether or not soda is bad for you. If you were to go up and ask someone on the street, they could tell you if it was bad for you or not. For some, diet soda is extremely bad and harmful to the body; for others it's not quite as bad. Should anyone drink it, though? Or should it be banned, nation-wide?
In United Kingdom, they banned diet soda nationwide. A quote from Arevalat states that the UK believes that diet soda can alter someone's DNA. Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh all banned soda in their schools and canteens. Still others say that it can cause cancer, birth defects, and damage to the nervous system.
No matter what, some others will say it's good for you. Many compare diet soda to regular soda, stating that while regular soda has 300+ calories, diet soda has a solid number of 0. Coca-Cola is now manufacturing “vitamin coke”, which is supposed to
Cecila M, a top contributor in Yahoo Answer's pregnancy section, states that while diet soda isn't healthy, it's not horrible - at least not in moderation. “There is no such thing as a healthy amount of diet soda,” she says. “What you need is to make sure you get enough of the "good" fluids - such as water - to balance out the bad, (sodas, fruit juices high in sugar, etc.) It's all about balance, and remaining well hydrated.”
Another survey on Yahoo Answers! Shows that 8 out of 9 people believe coffee is a healthier alternative to diet soda. One person even states that diet soda is bad in moderation, because too many “moderations” can lead up to a lot of unwanted soda-drinking.
So, if soda is bad for you, then why is it bad for you? People say because that it is bad for you because of many reasons, but there's always one stated throughout almost every news article. Aspartame.
What exactly is aspartame, and why is it so bad for you? Isn't that some sugar substitute? Aren't we supposed to be having less sugar? Shouldn't a sugar substitute be good for our body instead of bad for our body?
No way, say researchers. Aspartame is horrible compared to regular sugar, and while one shouldn't drink a lot of regular soda, one should always choose regular sugar over aspartame. According to Mark Gold, a twenty-year researcher on such subjects, aspartame is horrible and wasn't approved until 1981. The FDA even refused to approve it for 8 years!
Many would still deny the fact that it is bad. After all, the FDA didn't want to approve a lot of things at first. Mark Gold says it's not the case of stubbornness. Why wouldn't the FDA approve it?
In series tested by lab rats, the FDA stated that lab rats had seizures and brain tumors when they had it. Therefore, the FDA wasn't willing to put it on the market. According to Mark Gold, when President Ragan took office, he fired the former FDA leader and hired a new one. Eventually, aspartame was approved in dry foods, but the FDA who approved it was overruled by his own board.
However, other researchers believe it's not just the aspartame that's bad for you. According to Diet Weblog, diet coke can actually help you gain wait! Why is this? “When you put something into your body, your body expects to feel like it's fed,” Diet Weblog explains. “So once your body has it, it rushes around, searching for calories. However, diet soda has no calories; so in a since it stimulates your body, making it more hungry and more thirsty.”
As a compulsive drinker of diet soda, I'm quite curious about its effects, and your article pointed me some answers. Thank you very much and congratualtions on the great article.