Are Diet Drinks Unhealthy?
One of the most controversial topics of the last 20 (and possibly longer) years in the health and nutrition world is that of artificial sweeteners – the key ingredient in diet, or ‘zero calorie’ drinks. Despite being approved by regulatory bodies, and studied rigorously for many years, there is still an ongoing debate as to whether they are good or bad for our health. So, are diet drinks, and by extension artificial sweeteners, good for us or not?
The real problem with this discussion is the ‘good vs bad’ nature of the debate. You see, when it comes to food, it’s not binary – substances aren’t either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for us. Just because something doesn’t have nutritional value or health benefits doesn’t mean it is ‘bad’ for us. Artificial sweeteners, also known as ‘non-nutritive sweeteners’, fall into this category. They have no nutritional value, but that doesn’t mean they are inherently bad for our health, either. It just means, in a worst-case scenario, they are just doing nothing for us.
Like I mentioned in the introduction, the artificial sweeteners found in diet drinks (and similar products) have been approved by food regulatory bodies for decades, and are still being studied to this day to check their safety and any effects they might have on our health. Now, for the most part, these studies consistently show no negative health side effects or dangers from ingesting artificial sweeteners in moderate amounts. There are a few studies which seem to suggest otherwise – though most of these are decades old and have since been debunked. To expand, some of the studies warning of the dangers of artificial sweeteners have highlighted a link between artificial sweeteners and developing certain types of cancer. However, the problem with this research is:
1) It’s only ever been demonstrated in mice, never humans
2) The quantities of artificial sweeteners given to the mice are much higher than a human could realistically consume.
It’s important to note that findings from animal studies (usually performed on mice) are almost never replicated in humans, so are a poor proxy for effects we should expect to see in the real world. In the case of research into artificial sweeteners, mice were often given vast quantities of artificial sweeteners every single day – the equivalent of humans ingesting more than a g/kg per day of sweeteners. For comparison, a can of diet coke contains 200mg of artificial sweeteners. So, for a human to consume enough artificial sweeteners for there to even be the potential for negative health implications, they would need to be having dozens of cans of diet coke, every day, for a period of time. In short, it is unlikely (bordering on the impossible).
Unless you have a specific, and extremely rare, medical condition, artificial sweeteners and diet drinks post no inherent danger or harm to your health. And, depending on the situation, diet drinks may help you with your health and fitness goals. For example, if you are trying to lose weight, and you swap your daily can of coke for a can of diet coke, you will reduce your calorie intake by 139 calories per day. While this is not a massive reduction, you it is still a significant saving for very little difference in taste and/or satiety. If you then extrapolate this reduction over several weeks or months, then that one simple change could lead to an extra 1-2kg (or even more) of weight loss, for very little effort or change to your lifestyle. One pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 kcals – so you would only need to swap a can of coke for diet coke for 25 days to lose an extra pound of body weight – which, again, is a pretty good trade for the level of effort required.
Diet drinks are not nutritious foodstuffs – they contain (literally) almost no nutritional value and are hardly packed full of vitamins and minerals. However, there is also nothing inherently unhealthy about them, so do not need to be avoided by most people. If you find that drinking diet drinks helps you stay on track with your diet, satiate a craving, and help you to create a calorie deficit or maintain your weight, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with having them, in moderate amounts (not 12 cans per day), as part of your diet.
Now, if you don’t like the taste of diet drinks, or you find that artificial sweeteners upset your stomach (as some people do), then there is also nothing so great about them that you should be having them as part of your diet at all. Ultimately, it comes down to a matter of personal preference, and how they fit into your diet and lifestyle. Diet drinks aren’t unhealthy, and in certain circumstances, can be helpful for individuals in achieving their health and fitness goals.
~ Will
