Diet Soda

Dear Reader,

Stop drinking diet soda.

There, I said it.

It is a commonly known fact that diet soda is not good for you. However, one fifth of the American population continues to consume diet drinks every day. Most people could tell you that diet soda isn’t the best for you, but they couldn’t tell you why.

I am here to tell you why.

Kidney problems. Harvard Medical School conducted an 11 yearlongstudy. They followed over 3,000 women and their kidneys. They found that diet soda is “associated with a two fold increased risk for kidney decline.”

Ruined metabolism and increased weight. It does not add more calories to your diet, but it does add more sugar. This sugar slows down a person’s metabolism. When metabolism slows down, less fat is burned. Also, artificial sweeteners, while having a more intense flavor then real sugar, can disrupt the body’s regulation of calorie intake. They trigger insulin, which sends body fat into storage. In addition, it is easier to eat more after drinking diet soda, because this sugar causes you to continue to crave more. The University of Texas conducted a 10 year research in which they found that diet soda drinkers had a 70% greater increase in inches around the waist than non soda drinkers.

Cell damage. Almost all diet sodas contain sodium benzoate and potassium benzoate. These chemicals can “cause sever damage to DNA in themitochnodria to the point that they totally inactivate it”.

Rotting teeth. Soda has a pH of 3.2. This acid dissolves enamel and can decrease dental health.

Because other dieting habits have a big influence on healthiness and weight, it is not 100% clear if diet soda is the reason for all of these negative effects. However, research has been consistent. Thus, it is not unrealistic to infer that diet soda had a major impact on all of the health issues stated.

Also, remember that all of the studies were long term. This doesn’t happen overnight. In other words, if you don’t see these problems yet, it doesn’t mean you won’t get them.

So, if you want kidney problems, weight gain, cell damage, and rotting teeth, diet soda is a perfect fit for you!

But, dear reader, I doubt that is what you want.

Stop drinking diet soda.

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sources:

http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/7-side-effects-of-drinking-diet-soda

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db109.htm

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20739512_3,00.html