The Chemistry Behind Diet Soda

The Chemistry Behind Diet Soda
Everyone who knows me knows that my favorite soft drink is Dr. Pepper. There was a time when I drank Dr. Pepper with all my meals, I also realized during that time that I was feeling heavier than before, and I gained weight as well; I needed to make a change. I did what a lot of people in America do while trying to give up soda, I gave up the regular Dr. Pepper and switch to the Diet Dr. Pepper mainly because it contained zero calories. When I tried it I hated it, it tasted so fake and was not something I wanted to taste ever again. So I wanted to know, what’s really inside the diet sodas? How does drinking diet soda really affect me and society? Does diet sodas benefit or harms this society that is overwhelmed with artificially sweetened beverages? In this essay I will be talking about the chemistry of diet sodas and the effect it has on the body.
In a culture that is overwhelmed with consuming soda, when trying to lose weight, the easiest way people try to stop drinking soda is switching to diet soda. For example, one can of non diet Coke contains one hundred and fifty calories per twelve fluid ounces, whereas a can of Diet Coke has zero calories per twelve fluid ounces. It sounds convenient to make the switch because of the difference in calories, on the other hand is switching to diet soda really as helpful as it sounds? Some studies have shown that diet soda is not a beneficial source f0r wanting to lose weight for it is dangerous and risky. An article that was done by Harvard Health said that “people who drank diet sodas daily were at a higher risk for vascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, compared to those who drank fewer diet sodas or even those who drank regular sugar-sweetened sodas.” (Do you really need that diet soda? 2012)
In a study done by the Journal of General Internal Medicine, people who drink diet sodas may also be consuming other solid foods and drinks that contain lots of sweets but empty calories. This study also showed that consuming diet beverages can “condition the human taste buds to crave very sweet foods” (Dr. Eric Rimm). In a research data obtained by the American Journal of Public Health, Sara N. Bleich examined the national patterns in adult diet-beverage consumption and caloric intake. This research found that “individuals who drink diet beverages typically have a higher body mass index (BMI) intake from snack food, and among heavier adults do not eat fewer calories than those who consume sugar-sweetened beverages” (Diet-Beverage consumption and caloric intake among US adults 2014).
The methods that were used for this research was a twenty four hour analysis dietary recall on adults aged twenty years old or older with exclusion of survey respondents that were pregnant or had diabetes. The research found that although adults that consumed sugar-sweetened beverages had a higher intake of calories, the difference was only significant for healthy-weight adults. For those adults consuming diet beverages and were overweight or obese, the calories intake were higher from solid food consumption. To sum it all up, the research concluded that “overweight and obese adults drink more diet beverages than healthy-weight adults and consume significantly more solid-food calories and a comparable total calories than overweight and obese adults who drink sugar-sweetened beverages” (Diet-Beverage consumption and caloric intake among US adults 2014). S0 0verall overweight or obese adults who drink diet beverages and are trying to lose weight must also decrease solid-food calorie intake in order to lose weight. Some of the main ingredients used in diet sodas contain artificial sweeteners that include high fructose corn syrup and Aspartame. The article done by The American Journal of clinical nutrition suggested that the digestion of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is different from the digestion of glucose. Glucose stimulates insulin secretion and enhances leptin production which act as a “key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight.” According to George A. Bray Fructose on the other hand lacks the ability to regulate food intake and body weight which means that “dietary fructose may contribute to increase energy intake and weight gain … the increase in consumption of HFCS has a temporal relation to the epidemic of obesity, and the overconsumption of HFCS in calorically sweetened beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity.” When large amounts of fructose are consumed in the body it “relatively unregulated the source of carbon precursors for hepatic lipogenesis”, which is the transformation of nonfat food materials into body fat (Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity 2004). The article had a study done which showed that HFCS were introduced just before 1970 and increased by forty percent by 2000. Thus proving, after many more studies and research, that the upturn use of HFCS was simultaneous with the increase in obesity rates in the United States.
In the article “Diet beverages and the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease: a review of the evidence” researchers indicate that in the United States the purchases of diet sodas is much lower than the purchases of sugar sweetened-beverages (SSBs). However, the research found that “artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) became popular over the last few decades, largely due to successful marketing campaigns implying that consumption of such beverages would assist with weight control or weight loss.” Researchers in this article examined the past evidence on the relationship between the rise of diet beverages and the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The data collected found that it is almost impossible to know whether there is a relationship between ASB intake and the risk for obesity and related chronic diseases. Researches are lacking in accuracy and consistency because of the “respect measurement error in the exposure and outcomes, observational cohort studies are not likely to contribute to clear and consistent findings on this topic” (Diet beverages and the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease: a review of the evidence 2013). Although diet sodas and other zero calorie beverages may seem like good alternatives to the original product it is important to keep in mind that there may be more risks than benefits. After reading all these articles, I have found that substituting diet sodas for regular sodas will not produce the results that we may have in mind. Individuals who are looking to lose weight while consuming diet based beverages ought to make certain that they are not replacing the zero calories from the diet drinks with calories from snacks or food. When making diet sodas sugars are replaced with artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners contain high fructose corn syrup which lacks the ability to regulate food consumption and body weight. High fructose corn syrup works as a tool for transformation of nonfat food materials into body fat, resulting in gaining higher body mass index (BMI). Diet sodas can be beneficiary to the society when individuals are watching their intake calories on solid foods.

Citation
Do you really need that diet soda?. (2012). Harvard Health Letter, 37(10), 4.
Am J Clin Nutr, George A Bray, Samara Joy Nielsen, Barry M Popkin. April 2004. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity vol. 79 no. 4 537-543
Pereira, M. A. (2013). Diet beverages and the risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease: a review of the evidence. Nutrition Reviews, 71(7), 433-440.
Bleich, S. N., Wolfson, J. A., Vine, S., & Wang, Y. C. (2014). Diet-Beverage Consumption and Caloric Intake Among US Adults, Overall and by Body Weight. American Journal Of Public Health, 104(3), e72-e78.
Shutto, Y., Shimada, M., Kitajima, M., Yamabe, H., & Razzaque, M. S. (2011). Lack of Awareness among Future Medical Professionals about the Risk of Consuming Hidden Phosphate-Containing Processed Food and Drinks. Plos ONE, 6(12), 1-5.