Can sugar free drinks make you fat? Is diet soda just as detrimental to your healthy eating and your fat loss goals as drinks with added sugar? Let’s find out…
I’m going to start off with a little Q&A session, nothing to be afraid of I promise! Raise your hand if you drink diet soda because you believe it to be a “healthy” product.
Just as I thought; that is quite a few of you.
Here’s another question: Hands up if you know somebody, or you’ve ever heard a stranger talking out loud about how they love to choose sugar free soft drinks.
“I’m on a diet, better get the diet soda.”
Or maybe this little classic:
“Diet soda is good for you, did you know it has no sugar content at all?”
Just as I thought, even more hands waving at me!
Better put them down now though, you look kinda weird sitting there waving your hand at the screen
Well it might surprise you, and all of those other diet soda drinkers you were just thinking about, to learn that there is absolutely NOTHING even remotely healthy about diet soda.
Artificial Sweeteners Can Make You Fat
Sugar free soft drinks contain zero sugar and zero calories thanks to artificial sweeteners. But you will be shocked to discover that they can still make you fat.
Even more frightening, there is a good chance that “diet” drinks are actually MORE fattening than their full-sugar brothers and sisters.
Wait a minute, what the deuce!?
Your Body’s Digestion Of Artificial Sweeteners
Did you know that it is NOT the number of calories you eat and drink every day that causes you to gain weight? It is actually your body’s HORMONAL RESPONSE to the calories you ingest.
But as you know, diet soda contains no calories! So what’s the deal? Well the artificial sweeteners (manufactured chemicals) inside the soft drink trick your body into thinking it is ingesting something sweet. And you can imagine how that works out!
Let’s take Aspartame for example (found in a market leading diet cola). This chemical actually blocks your brain’s production of serotonin (controls mood and appetite amongst other things).
And what does your body do when it is suffering from low serotonin levels? It tells your body to go and get some of the foods that it knows will stimulate the release of the chemical.
And guess what, this just happens to be the waistline expanding, high-calorie, carbohydrate-rich, processed “junk” foods that every dieter fears!
So sugar free sodas are actually fueling your sugar and junk food cravings. Not good.
The Insulin Response
Scientists also suspect that no-calorie sweeteners trigger the release of insulin in your body. (Insulin is released by your pancreas to allow your cells to absorb blood sugar and provide energy).
The problem here is that your body has been tricked into releasing insulin, but there is no sugar to process. When your body realizes this it triggers your appetite and tells you to go out and get some!
And again you’ll be craving sugary foods that produce a quick “spike” in blood sugar levels, quickly followed by a “crash”. This is how we get into a hunger-craving-snacking cycle that adds on the pounds.
How often do you experience sugar cravings like this? And every time you do I bet you reach for a candy bar or some milk chocolate, don’t you? It feels good for a moment but once the reality sets in you know it was bad. Wouldn’t you like to get rid of these cravings forever?
Drinking Diet Soda Causes Obesity?
I’ve done some research online and discovered a very comprehensive scientific study which warns of the dangers of drinking diet soda. It is actually quite frightening!
Conducted by Sharon Fowler and colleagues, the study was based on 8 years of data. The researchers were looking at the links between soft drinks and weight gain.
“What didn’t surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to overweight and obesity,” Fowler tells WebMD. “What was surprising was when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher.”
The researchers made a shocking discovery when it came to diet soda.
“There was a 41% increase in risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day.”
So there you have it. Diet soda is not as healthy as the advertising campaigns would have us believe. If you are serious about getting in shape then you really need to say goodbye to all types of soda. Believe me, you’ll feel much better for it and your physique will thank you for it!
Does diet soda make you obese? Learn how to beat your cravings with foods that burn fat on David’s blog.



