12 Diet Cokes a Day

Aspartame (the artificial sweetener used in diet coke) is also very bad for you.

There is a documentary about it called "sweet misery".

It somehow outrages me that there isn't enough communal thinking in most celebs' heads. Choices are often made for the self instead of complied with society's vital needs.

On the other hand, I admire public figures who would give up or take up something to exert some educative power.

As for the soft drinks, just several days ago I read this article on the harmful effects of the likes of it on health:

http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2586652.ece

Just as with every other thing we consume, everyone makes their own choices, but I've seen it in "opponents" of vegetarianism, whole meal, etc - some just don't think it's worth listening to reason outside one's own perceptions (and I recently read that this was cold a "confirmation bias"). It makes me doubt many wide-spread consumption practices.

edit

..(and I recently read that this was called a "confirmation bias)..

I cannot think in how many ways this must be bad.

The amount of sweetners and side effects on bowels, the effect of the acidity on the teeth, stomach, coke is diuretic and I doubt she drinks any other fluids, the effect of the high dose of coffein...

And she probably burps a lot too ;-)

Dro, I also just read on the Independent that a preservative found in soft drinks (E 211, I think) switches off vital parts of mitochondrial DNA.
I'm so glad I don't drink that crap!

Ooops, we're talking about the same article (I should have checked the link first:)

I'm hooked on caffeine too. I need it to function. 2h of exercise + 12h of work a day keep me unable to go on without a lot of caffeine. When your body is saying "take a nap" but you have to keep on working, all I can do is reach for the diet pepsi. I know it is unatural and bad for me and that I should listen to my body, but it is simply not an option, financially speaking.

I do drink plenty of water as well, in fact, most times I'm thirsty I reach for one large cup of water + one cup of soda. The water is to quench the thirst, and the soda is to keep me going.

I quit smoking a year-and-a-half ago, and now I'm trying to give up my Diet Coke habit too. Guess which addiction has been harder for me to break? (Hint: it's not the cigarettes.) I'm not sure what they put in this stuff, but it's incredibly addictive and giving it up isn't always as easy as it sounds.

I haven't had a soda in over 2 weeks..I really want one. I also quit smoking 2 weeks ago...I have 2 kids a husband, and a 3 bedroom house to tend to..oh and work..need caffeine to keep going!! So I now drink a lot of tea(unsweetened) and water.. Are they gonna find something bad with tea next?

Sharon, I certainly drink more tea and coffee than I should. Like many people. And too much stimulant is too much stimulant. But drinking liters of soda EACH day... The acidity, the sugar, ugh. I just cannot imagine how bad it would make me feel. I think we're much better off drinking a lot of unsweetened tea :) And a soda once in a while.

Good to see that everyone here actually uses scientific and logical thinking in actually making their decisions.

"Oh no, the acid load MAY hurt my bone density, and that COULD be a problem one day, down the line"?

After 30 years or so, there still is only some evidence? Yeah, I'm going to spend the rest of my life in fear of what could be.

Nate: yes, I agree this kind the formulation doesn't say much and plays on fear.

But without potentially fearing about my bone density, I *know* that massive amout of sweeteners will mess with my digestive system, that the acidity will ruin my teeth, that too much coffeine will mess up with my sleep, may make me feel restless, that coffeine is duretic and will make me dehydrated... there's a lot more to fear than potential loss of bone density.

And that too much of that will be bad, even if your bones are fine. Drinking a couple of diet sodas everyday won't probably do much harm, but when it comes to liters every day. This is insane.

@Lady Jo:
Why is liters of consumption "insane"?
Calling it insane seems to indicate that you have valid study that shows that level of consumption is bad for you. If that's the case, do you have a link to it?

And I also understand that consumption of Diet Coke isn't good for everyone, but for the past 2 years (up until recently), have swallowed down around 14-16 liters a day (and no, that's not an exaggeration) of Diet Coke.

I am healthy, I have no digestion problems, I have had sleep problems, but that was fixed by switching to caffeine free Diet Coke after 4pm.
I have low blood pressure (well, on the lower end of normal), my cholesterol is exemplary, and by all accounts I am a healthy, normal human being (with a few pounds that I am willing to part with :)).

So my problem with posts like this are that it reinforces the same stupid prejudices against products because they're "man made" and "not natural", but not providing any real studies to back up their statements.

On a side note, why did I stop drinking as much Diet Coke, if I think it's sooo healthy?
Because I found a product at WalMart called Clear American, which is carbonated, has no sodium, caffeine, or calories, and the only product in it seems to be aspartame, which is something I believe poses an insanely low threat to me, and after doing the math, the Wal Mart drink is a thousandth of a cent cheaper per ounce than Diet Coke purchased from 7-11.

So, for me, the motivation was financial. If I had my true druthers, I would drink nothing but Peach flavored Diet Snapple, but alas, finding a good supplier for the 32oz. bottles is almost impossible.

All that to say this: I don't presume to preach to people that the way I live my life is good for anyone else, but it seems that there are health nazis out there who have no problem telling everyone that what they're doing is wrong and bad for them, and yet have no conclusive or definitive proof.

And a news story without a real study behind it isn't proof. It's FUD.

Caffeine is bad for your CNS and your glucose metabolism. Aspartame is public enemy number one for food additive health complaints. And of course, the carbonic acid disturbs the pH of your body, one side effect of which is calcium leeching.

It's pure poison all-around!

I switched from regular coke to diet coke and recently went soda free altogether. It may not have calories in it, but diet coke has plenty of stuff that's bad for you. The caffeine was making me spike and crash all day. Soda free, I find my energy level is nice and steady.

Nate, I think (I hope) you have a typo when you said "14-16 liters a day". The common recommended intake of fluids is of 8-12 eight ounce glasses a day, but you are talking of about approximately 50 glasses a day.

There is a condition called Water Intoxication which can only be prevented if a person's intake of water and electrolytes closely matches his or her losses.

Sodas, diet or otherwise, are very dangerous substances (they're not food) to consume. Might as well sniff paint or drink light fluid for energy.

"It somehow outrages me that there isn't enough communal thinking in most celebs' heads. Choices are often made for the self instead of complied with society's vital needs."

Dro, perhaps we could also stick electrical wires in their limbs and have them give public speeches in support of our political party of choice, or perhaps we can ask them not to have family issues so that people no longer fight with their own families....

I, for one, agree that people should rarely, if ever, make choices with their "self" in mind - Lord knows what that could lead to - people thinking for themselves, people who are self-sufficient....the possibilities are staggering. In the brave new world, we should be always working towards the benefit of the popular health note...

NOTE: Regarding the article about Sodium Benzoate in the Independent. Despite this being all over the news wires - there is still no paper or report published on-line -- that's why I haven't written about it on the Blog yet.

Jan said:
I'm hooked on caffeine too.[...]

If it's just the caffeine they're hooked on, diet soda drinkers should transition to coffee or to tea. Then they can get the caffeine kick without carbonic acid or the artificial sweeteners. But I fear it is also the sweet flavor that is part of the addiction. This probably translates into poor food choices as well.

The acids and sugars alone could erode tooth enamel over time! In fact, one of my employees just had a cracked tooth looked at. As they were discussing it, my employee told the dentist that he drinks 2 litres of cola a night. The dentist told him "no!" Spreading out a few glasses over a day was not toooo bad, but drinking that much in such a short timespan would certainly weaken his teeth. To add to that story - one of my aunts was addicted to Coke when I was a kid. She would buy it by the case and drink it constantly. She had false teeth in her 30's.

My SO gets free soda at work from a soda fountain, and still goes through 3-4 of the 12 packs a week in addition... and orders it when we go out.
I've tried to get him to cut back... but it's really like an addiction... bad headaches if he stops. And he craves soda so much, he just thinks at least it's diet.

I'd rather have one bottled real rootbeer every other week, but I've always preferred water.

Heather said:
I've tried to get him to cut back... but it's really like an addiction... bad headaches if he stops. And he craves soda so much, he just thinks at least it's diet.

Sounds like caffeine headaches. See if he'll switch to coffee, tea or even caffeine pills would be better! And coffee and tea, even though I'm anti-caffeine, I will say this for them: they have antioxidants.

Anushka: I have a story like your aunt's. When I was 16, I had filled the only 4 cavities I'd had in my entire life. Back then I had 6 month check-ups with my dentist, being a kid and on my parent's insurance. The only thing that changed in that 6 month span was that I had a job at McDonald's, and would sip the free soda all throughout my shift! Needless to say, I put a stop to that right after the dental checkup revealed the decay.

I find it interesting that some people feel that the only way to decide if something is bad for you is if there is a study conclusively proving it so. This happens every time that anyone here suggests that aspartame or caffeine might not be great for you. On the flip side, where's the proof it isn't bad for you???

May I humbly suggest we respect people's personal experience and common sense in determining what is right or wrong for them - I didn't decide aspartame was bad for me because I read on a website it was, it was because some 20 years ago when aspartame first came out I drank a lot of it, and developed migraines at the same time. Possibly, not related, but common sense told me that if the only change I'd made to my life and diet was consuming aspartame, perhaps I should stop. Likewise, I used to drink a lot of coffee in the mornings - and I spent all afternoon shaking and running to the bathroom, with energy that kept peaking and crashing. Common sense, again, told me this could not be good! I had a headache for a week when I quit, but I have not had more than the occasional cup of coffee for a couple of years, and every time I succumb to temptation, I get so wound up I feel like I'm on drugs! (Starbucks is the worst). I don't need a "valid study" to know that I'm much better off without caffeine and aspartame. Just plain old common sense.

@Nate:

a news story without a real study behind it isn't proof. It's FUD.

"Great taste. No calories. Wholesome ingredients. How could you drink too much?" said Diana Garza, the communications director of Coca-Cola North America.

I was buying 2 20oz sodas per day on average. That worked out to nearly $3 per day for that sweet taste. Eventually I found I needed a "sweet" most of the time to not feel a craving. When I realized that the sodas triggered me to eat even more sweets I cut them out and find it much easier to forgo constant sweet flavor. I don't think excessive caffeine is good for you either. Those withdraw headaches really hurt.

FYI I've been soda free for about 2 years. Just think how much money I've saved on those 20 ouncers!

I would hate to imagine her teeth! I've always drank Diet Coke, and used to be pretty addicted (nowhere near 12 cans a day addicted though!), and my dentist told me I had a huge amount of enamel erosion, most likely from fizzy drinks. THANKS, DIET COKE!

I used to drink a lot of Diet Coke...I've cut down considerably because it tends to keep me awake at night. I generally have 2 cans a day, sometimes 3 if I really need the caffeine. I don't worry too much about aspartame...it has never caused me any problems and it's been proven safe. I think 12+ cans a day is a little much though. I kind of wonder how many Diet Cokes I used to drink...probably 6 or 7 cans a day at least.

Oh, and I LOVE that Clear American stuff from Wal Mart...it's awesome! It's only like, 50 cents a liter too. Can't beat that.

Spectra said:
I don't worry too much about aspartame...it has never caused me any problems and it's been proven safe.

Aspartame has not been proven to be safe. It has not been proven to be unsafe. That is not the same thing.

Kailash said:
But I fear it is also the sweet flavor that is part of the addiction. This probably translates into poor food choices as well.[...]

This is gonna sound like disordered eating, but here it goes: if I want a mid-afternoon snack, I can get an apple and a diet soda + 1.5x that in water (I always do, when I reach for the soda, to avoid dehydration), and I'll be full. The gas and the sweetener taste fill me up. If I reach just for water and the apple, I'd still be hungry and reach for a piece of cheese, a few nuts, and a slice of whole-wheat toast afterwards. So in my case, it translates to less food, not necessarily poor food choices. It really fills me up and keeps me going on fewer calories.

I eat quite well at the 3 main meals of the day though, so I'm not Victoria Beckham, but I get where she is coming from with the diet coke addiction.

soozeequeue said:
Aspartame has not been proven to be safe. It has not been proven to be unsafe. That is not the same thing. [...]

Our legal system needs to change the plea options from Not Guilty or Guilty to Guilty and You Can't Prove Me Guilty. They have abandoned the Innocent option for a while now...:-(

My dad used to drink 1 case (12) diet cokes, and about 4 bottles (20oz) a day, minium. Well, at least it wasn't regular, that would've been an extra 7,680 calories (roughly)

Sodium Benzoate or Potassium Benzoate, ingredients in many drinks, diet and non diet, have been shown to turn to Benzine in your body and is a cancer causing agent. I'd say there are many reasons not to drink diet or non diet sodas and stick with good ol' water.

Dr.J said:
Our legal system needs to change the plea options from Not Guilty or Guilty to Guilty and You Can't Prove Me Guilty. They have abandoned the Innocent option for a while now...:-([...]

Kind of presumptuous to think that the legal system used in the USA should be the standard by which we all judge guilt or innocence, no? FYI in England and English speaking Canada, you are "not guilty" until proven guilty - not the same thing as innocence, more of a limbo between the two. In Francophone Canada, and France, under civil law you are considered guilty until proven otherwise at trial. Just so you know that not everyone adheres to the same tenets as the USA.

I would think that aspartame falls more under the "not guilty" until proven guilty category. Both anecdotal evidence and studies exist that have determined that it can cause harm. I realize that there are also studies that exist that say that aspartame is safe. I'm a little leery of these as most of them seem to have been funded by organizations connected to the pro-aspartame lobby. Because of this, and because my experience with aspartame was not good, I choose to steer clear.

I think the best parallel I can think of is with tobacco. For centuries, it was touted as being harmless, and even good for you, although the evidence to the contrary, not to mention the dead bodies, must have been piling up. It was not so very long ago - certainly within my memory - that gov'ts with very strong pressure from the tobacco industry were reluctant to declare tobacco unsafe because it hadn't been "proven" unsafe. I think we all know how that turned out.

soozeequeue said:
Kind of presumptuous to think that the legal system used in the USA should be the standard by which we all judge guilt or innocence, no? [...]

In the middle of a hard bikeride, i really like an 0.25l Orangina or, even better, a Chinotto!! Unfortunately, I pretty much have to be bicycling in Italy to have one of these. That bittersweet shot of Chinotto after having sweated up a long grind, mmh.

On two sixers of diet soda a day - as a simple rule of thumb, if you're doing anything, oh, 2 standard deviations more than the average, then you might ask youself if it's really a good idea. Sometimes it's okay, but oftentimes it's just obsessive or addictive behavior.

Just to contradict your anecdotal evidence, here's my anecdotal evidence:

I am 34, have drank A LOT of soda ever since I was around 12 or so. I switched to diet about 6-7 years ago. I drink about 2 liters of Diet Pepsi a day. A few months ago, I had my very first 2 cavities removed when my 4 wisdom teeth were pulled. The cavities were caused by the placement of my teeth constantly trapping food particles, not soda. Also, I grew up with four brothers, we were typical rough and tumble boys and I never have had a broken (even fractured) bone. I have absolutely no trouble going to sleep or staying asleep at night.

My wife drinks maybe one or two 12oz sodas a week, excercises pretty regularly, eats very healthy, and drinks lots of water. She brushes and flosses twice a day. She has some of the worse teeth ever, and has had a surgery in the past to remove degenerated bone tissue from her ankle. She also often can't sleep, and usually wakes up several times each night.

These types of anecdotal stories are why you should only listen to controlled, scientific evidence from good experiments with high quality standardization. Each person reacts differently to their food, and science can tell you statistics based on "typical" reactions, as well as noting exceptions to the rule. Anecdotes are usually only remembered when they are exceptions. Do you take note of all the things you eat or drink in normal quantities that give you no discernable reaction? Probably not.

By the way, when I switched to diet soda, I lost about 15 pounds over a 3-4 month period.

Also- a recent controlled study and review of existing evidence shows that contrary to "conventional wisdom" (anecdotal evidence) caffeinated drinks are only as diuretic as water.

In this study, a 160 lb man would have consumed 0, 217.5, or 435 mg (the amount contained in 12 cans of Diet Pepsi)of caffeine per day for 5 days with "no significant differences" in diuretic effect between the groups.

http://coffeescience.org/media/athletic
http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm