Diet Sodas & Stroke...

[An Officer]

Once you wean yourself off them (takes a couple of weeks at least for your taste-buds to re-adapt to the taste of normal drinks), and you have them again after some time, they taste disgusting,sickeningly sweet, even the sugar-free types. You just have to give yourself a break and a chance. I would rather buy a natural un-concentrated, undiluted, unsweetened, and generally untampered with fruit juice (which it has become more and more difficult to find!), then top up half the glass with sparkling water, far tastier than the canned stuff. I normally go with cranberry juice - for the taste as well as the benefits.

 

[Jadzia]

Everything is bad for you in some medical study.

 

[Balrog]

Sounds like "A Frog with No Legs is Deaf" study.

 

[Mr Silver]

I like so many people consume roughly just under 2 litres of Diet Coke a day, most days thats all I drink, is it bad? Definitely for my bladder, but can it cause a Stroke?

I'm convinced this is yet another so called 'Health Expert' ploy to put the worry into people, lets look at the facts.

I'm not aware that Diet Soda drinks contain any chemicals that can cause a Neurological Imbalance, except of course Caffeine, however that generally affects the hormonal system. So if there are no chemicals in diet soda's that can cause Neurological Imbalances, how would drinking in excess lead to a Stroke?

The leading cause of a Stroke is a bleed in the brain, although a blockage of a Blood Vessel can also lead to a Stroke, I see no evidence that any form of nutritional substance can be a direct catalyst in Neurological Trauma

As for Aspartame. The only thing wrong with aspartame is the addictive effects, Drinking enough Diet Drinks will cause you to feel shitty if you go a day or two without one, but thats about it. Aspartame DOES NOT cause Cancer or any other medical conditions, its been certified as safe by numerous Health Agencies, including the American Health Association, The NHS and more than likely the WHO. Does nobody realise that such a substance would be banned from being added to Food and Drink if it really was dangerous?

The paranoia is all a result of Internet Rumors and misinformed Media sources.

 

[ThankQ]

I'm convinced this is yet another so called 'Health Expert' ploy to put the worry into people, lets look at the facts.

Okay, I'll buy it might be a bad study, haven't read it yet...

But a "health expert ploy to worry people"? What on Earth would be the motivation?

 

[Jadzia]

^ Sometimes researchers are pushed to publish things, to justify their department existing and being funded. It can sometimes lead to churning out 'bad science'.

Sometimes research is biased, because there is politics at the core of most things. So sometimes research is funded with the hope that it will prove something favorable to the employer. Three years of research ending with "we found no correlations" would be seen as a failure.

 

[Nick086]

They alway tell people what foods or drinks people shouldn't consume on the News.

 

[Crash]

Moderation, as always, is the key. If you limit yourself to one soda (diet or regular) every day or so I doubt they're going to be a make-or-break issue -- outside of diabetics. I live with a type 2 diabetic (despite her weighing in at 110 lbs... bad genes, I suppose) and she actively avoids consuming carbs more than sugary treats. Soda, in many cases, isn't the problem so much as all the pasta, potatoes, and bread people down.

 

[ThankQ]

Three years of research ending with "we found no correlations" would be seen as a failure.

Yeah, it's science, not business. That's how science goes sometimes.

 

[Sector 7]

I switched to diet soda before getting off of it completely. The aspartame gave me awful headaches so I just ditched the whole thing. Soda's a fairly rare thing for me now. I don't miss it much, either.

Despite the paid studies, I have been decrying aspartame for years. Many times someone I meet has been drinking aspartame drinks. I get them to remove aspartame from their diet and headaches, stomach cramps and increased arthritic pain tend to go away or at least reduce.

See, this annoys me. As a diabetic, if I want a soda it has to be a diet soda. I don't do it to shed pounds to fit into my swimming trunks, I drink it because my options as a diabetic are limited, particularly with this recent upswing in "real sugar" soft drinks. Fortunately, having read up on this "study", I find the results unreliable. If this is to be done, it needs to be a double blind test with controls and everything, and done right.

As a diabetic, also, my choices are limited to sugar-free sodas. Splenda sweetened sodas are readily available where I live. By switching away from aspartame (Nutrasweet), I reduced the symptoms I mentioned above. I also used Truvia (stevia plant based sweetener) in coffee and tee, with no ill effects. When I was using aspartame my fibromyalgia pain was off the chart, now it is more bearable.

 

[bigdaddy]

See, this annoys me. As a diabetic, if I want a soda it has to be a diet soda. I don't do it to shed pounds to fit into my swimming trunks, I drink it because my options as a diabetic are limited, particularly with this recent upswing in "real sugar" soft drinks. Fortunately, having read up on this "study", I find the results unreliable. If this is to be done, it needs to be a double blind test with controls and everything, and done right.

Studies are never down right, they are done to prove something the scientists have in mind.

You are diabetic, so the study doesn't say why the people are drinking the soda. If you are diabetic you are more likely to have blood pressure and heart issues leading to heart aches and strokes. So they probably just drink the soda and it really doesn't increase anything.

Soda is bad for you, drink water. Can I have millions of dollars to do a study to prove that?

 

[SPOCKED]

Everything is bad for you in some medical study.

Couple things I've learned over my long and healthy life:

Pure water will kill you if ingested.
Moisture dries skin.
And livin' too hard can give you a heart attack-ak-ak-ak-ak

 

[exodus]

Well, really, you should stop drinking soda in general.

No shit!

I mean really this is supposed to be surprising? And aspartame is horrible for you, the studies are bullshit and probably paid off the people doing them. It's a made man chemical that at the very least causes diarrhea, but I'm sure that's perfectly healthy.

Drink water and teas, probably solved.

I agree.
I just don't see how putting in a man made chemical into you body can be better than natures own cane sugar.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ Just because something comes from nature doesn't mean it's automatically good for you. The phrase "all natural" has come to be used as a marketing gimmick, nothing more.

And livin' too hard can give you a heart attack-ak-ak-ak-ak

While driving your Cadillac-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack-ack, you oughta know by now...

 

[Dancing Doctor]

^ Just because something comes from nature doesn't mean it's automatically good for you. The phrase "all natural" has come to be used as a marketing gimmick, nothing more.

One of my teachers in high school would only allow water or pure 100% fruit juice to be consumed in class. When a person would ask and say "But (X) is all-natural!", he would respond "So are toadstools, nightshade, and holly, but that doesn't mean those are okay to eat."

In regards to this study, all that's been proven is a link - not cause and effect. It's based on self-reported food intake, and the people involved were asked at the beginning of the survey, instead of being checked on all throughout. Apparently, the researchers also didn't adjust the results in regards to those who have a family history of strokes.

(Paid for by the American Beverage Association)

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I switched to diet soda before getting off of it completely. The aspartame gave me awful headaches so I just ditched the whole thing. Soda's a fairly rare thing for me now. I don't miss it much, either.

Despite the paid studies, I have been decrying aspartame for years. Many times someone I meet has been drinking aspartame drinks. I get them to remove aspartame from their diet and headaches, stomach cramps and increased arthritic pain tend to go away or at least reduce.

My boss was addicted to aspartame and she felt really bad after stopping it. But once she got past the withdrawal she felt much better overall and didn't realize just how much the aspartame was affecting her.

I don't know if aspartame is "dangerous" in the sense that it causes serious or long-term health problems but it is evidently addictive and can cause unpleasant side effects in some people.

 

[JarodRussell]

i use to drink a 12 pack of regular Coke a day. now, i'm down to three or four cans a day. i can't stop completely though, i get terrible terrible headaches.

Caffeine addiction. Get rid of it. Headaches will stop.

 

[CaptainStoner]

I gave up diet soda about a year ago, and don't miss it. I have had about 5 of them over the past year...and on at least 3 of those occasions, I remember not even wanting it - it was just the only thing around.

I quit all soda around...three years ago. It's amazing and sad that we have to retrain ourselves to drink water!
We can study aspartame till we're blue, but in the real world, where people are drinking 2 liters a day combined with huge doses of caffeine, and a pH that will clean off your car's battery cables (literally), along with various artificial colors and other crap, it becomes an easy decision.
That stuff is addictive as hell and will rot your teeth. For some people it exacerbates depression. Not my cup of tea any more.

i use to drink a 12 pack of regular Coke a day. now, i'm down to three or four cans a day. i can't stop completely though, i get terrible terrible headaches.

Caffeine addiction. Get rid of it. Headaches will stop.

I also quit caffeine, around a year ago. I couldn't make it through the 24 hours+ of migraines, hardly able to move. In my case it was coffee, but here is what you do: get caffeine free soda, and mix it 50:50 for a week or so. Then reduce the ratio a bit further for another week, and then you can go to straight decaf. You will become VERY sensitive to caffeine once it's out of your system completely. A regular dose will likely make you feel queasy since all caffeine does is release adrenaline.
The problem then will be a likely aspartame addiction, so if you can, get off the decaf soda as soon as possible. Decaf teas or coffee.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

i use to drink a 12 pack of regular Coke a day. now, i'm down to three or four cans a day. i can't stop completely though, i get terrible terrible headaches.

Caffeine addiction. Get rid of it. Headaches will stop.

Yup. I used to be addicted to Code Red. About a week of agonizing withdrawal and I was rid of it. Now, I avoid the caffeine addiction by rarely drinking soda and only having 1-2 cups of coffee a day--and only on weekdays. Seems to stave off features of addiction pretty well.

 

[Jadzia]

I don't know if aspartame is "dangerous" in the sense that it causes serious or long-term health problems but it is evidently addictive and can cause unpleasant side effects in some people.

I've never felt any such effects from imbibing drinks containing aspartame, but then I don't drink them very often. Less than 1 litre per month.

Going into the science a little: The active metabolite of the sweetener is an amino-acid called phenylalanine, which acts on the nervous system as an antidepressent. The body metabolises it into adrenaline and various other chemicals, but these subsequent processes are regulated by biofeedback.

Look how the Aspartame molecule is broken down into Phenylalanine:

Aspartame

Phenylalanine

What's most interesting I think is the similarity between phenylalanine and L-DOPA, the psychoactive drug used to treat dopamine deficiencies. It may exert a similar (albeit weaker) effect on the brain.

L-DOPA