| Planning on Losing Weight With Diet Drinks? Think | | | | fat; but that something linked to drinking diet soda |
| Again! | | | | makes you gain weight. |
| The research in this area proved to be the most | | | | Studies conducted at Purdue University suggests |
| astounding to me. People, myself included, have | | | | that the mind is not fooled by the artificial |
| been switching to diet soft drinks as an | | | | sweeteners. The tongue is temporarily satisfied |
| alternative to the sugar sweetened products | | | | by the sweet taste of diet soft drinks but the |
| discussed above. We all know that regular soft | | | | mind isn't fooled and still craves calories for |
| drinks can contribute to weight gain and to | | | | energy. Other studies suggest that a person that |
| diabetes, although maybe like me we didn't realize | | | | consumes an artificially sweetened beverage |
| how much. We thought zero calorie diet drinks | | | | before a meal will eat more high calorie foods |
| were the sensible alternative. | | | | than those that do not. |
| Recent research says this just isn't so. A new | | | | The number of Americans consuming sugar free |
| study shows people who drink diet soft drinks | | | | products increased from less than 70 million in |
| don't lose weight and in fact gain weight. | | | | 1987 to more than 160 million in 2000. During the |
| The findings come from an eight years of data | | | | same period, the consumption of regular soft |
| collected by Sharon P. Fowler MPH, and colleagues | | | | drinks increased by more than 15 gallons per |
| at the University of Texas Health Science Center | | | | capita annually. |
| in San Antonio. Fowler reported the data to the | | | | Despite the superficial logic that consuming less |
| annual meeting of the American Diabetes | | | | calories will result in weight loss, the evidence is |
| Association in San Diego. In an interview with | | | | clear that artificial sweeteners can cause a |
| WebMD, Fowler was quoted as saying, "What | | | | reverse effect and actually cause you to gain |
| didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use | | | | weight. In fact nearly ten years ago studies were |
| was linked to overweight and obesity. What was | | | | already revealing that artificial sweeteners can: |
| surprising was when we looked at people drinking | | | | ¢ Stimulate your appetite |
| only diet soft drinks; their risk of obesity was | | | | ¢ Increase carbohydrate cravings |
| even higher." | | | | ¢ Stimulate fat storage and weight gain. |
| "There was a 41% increase in risk of being | | | | According to an article in Technology Review, |
| overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft | | | | "aspartame may actually stimulate appetite and |
| drink a person consumes each day," Fowler says. | | | | bring on a craving for carbohydrates". |
| Fowler's team looked at seven to eight years of | | | | The American Cancer Society in 1986 |
| data on 1,550 Mexican-American and non-Hispanic | | | | documented the fact that persons who used |
| white Americans aged 25 to 64. Of the 622 | | | | artificial sweeteners gained more weight than |
| study participants who were of normal weight at | | | | those who avoid them. |
| the beginning of the study about a third became | | | | Whatever the reason or reasons the numbers |
| overweight or obese. | | | | are interesting. Another interesting number, |
| For regular soft-drink users the risk of becoming | | | | Monsanto's profit from the NutraSweet Division |
| overweight or obese was: | | | | was $993 million in 1990. It's no wonder nobody is |
| 26% for up to ½ can each day | | | | to concerned with publishing definitive information |
| 30.4% for ½ to 1 can each day | | | | on this subject. |
| 32.8% for 1 to 2 cans per day | | | | My website Living to be Younger provides |
| 47.2% for more than 2 cans per day | | | | information on natural ways to manage weight |
| For diet-soft drink users the risk or becoming | | | | and improve quality of life. Why take the risk with |
| overweight or obese was: | | | | chemicals and toxins if we don't need to? |
| 36.5% for up to ½ can per day | | | | I felt this information was important enough to |
| 37.5% for ½ to 1 can per day | | | | provide a free excerpt of this chapter of my |
| 54.5% for 1 to 2 cans per day | | | | book, "Living To Be Younger". People need to |
| 57.1% for more than 2 cans per day | | | | know the facts about what their consuming and |
| For each can of diet soft-drink consumed each | | | | the impact on their health. |
| day, a person's risk or obesity went up 41%. | | | | We simply are not getting good information, and |
| Fowler is quick to point out that the findings are | | | | the result of that lack of knowledge is becoming |
| not a "smoking gun" that diet soda makes you | | | | more and more evident. |