There has been a lot in the new lately about sugary drinks. A ban on supersized sodas that was scheduled to go into effect today in New York City was overturned yesterday.
As I've mentioned here, one of the first steps I made in this weight loss journey was decreasing my Mountain Dew intake. I used to drink 2-3 Mountain Dews per day. Do you know how much sugar that is? I didn't. A 12 ounce can of Mountain Dew has about 1/4 cup sugar!! That means that with the amount I was drinking, I was consuming at least a CUP OF SUGAR A DAY just from my soda intake. Holy frig!
I miss my Mountain Dew. I really do. But that just shows how addictive these substances are! Think switching to diet is the answer? Well, you are WRONG. I have often commented that diet sodas are evil, and I've taken a lot of flack for saying that from people.
Well, guess what? There is some recent research that supports this - In the March 2013 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition they published a story that found:
- Diet sodas raised the risk of diabetes more than sugar-sweetened sodas!
- Women who drank one 12-ounce diet soda had a 33 percent increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, and women who drank one 20-ounce soda had a 66 percent increased risk.
- The average diet soda drinker consumes three diet drinks a day
Wait, say that again? YES - the study found that the risk of DIABETES was increased in diet soda drinkers MORE than regular sodas!!
So, I hate to tell you this, but for weight loss and health, you need to toss soda - diet and regular.
As for the ban on super-sized sodas? I'll be interested to see how this plays out. There is no doubt that these sodas DO contribute to obesity. But so do Doritos. And most fast food - hell, most restaurant food. So where do we stop? I don't know about saving the world, but I did make a choice to save myself. I try to lead by example. I am far from perfect.
What example are you setting today?
You make some excellent points. I both agree and disagree. Look at what was written in the conclusion of the study you cited:
ReplyDelete"We cannot rule out that factors other than ASB consumption that we did not control for are responsible for the association with diabetes, and randomized trials are required to prove a causal link between ASB consumption and T2D."
So do we have a causation here, or perhaps merely a correlation?
I noticed that when I was drinking (sadly, a lot) of diet soda, it increased my enjoyment of food. Food tasted better if I would have it with a diet soda. I think it is possible that people who drink a lot of diet soda may tend to eat more, and maybe eat more "tasty but bad for you" things due to this "taste enhancement" factor that I was experiencing with diet soda.
Interestingly, now that I'm completely off diet soda and on to water, I'm surprised at how much I don't miss diet soda, even when I'm having a meal.
Thanks for your posts - I'm really enjoying your blog!
I agree with you 100% that with this study - as with most - CORRELATION does not NECESSARILY equal CAUSATION.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it is certainly something to think about. I have never been a diet soda drinker - it has always tasted horrible to me. So I didn't have the challenge of rationalizing my use due to the zero calories.
Glad you are enjoying my blog!
Jen
...not to mention the health hazzards of artificial sweeteners
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