Duke Medicine: Is diet soda too good to be true?
Fizzy, sweet, and calorie-free -- it has to be too good to be true, right? These days some research points to possible links between diet soda consumption and increased risk of weight gain, metabolic syndrome and osteoporosis.
Posted — UpdatedFizzy, sweet, and calorie-free -- it has to be too good to be true, right? These days some research points to possible links between diet soda consumption and increased risk of weight gain, metabolic syndrome and osteoporosis.
Will diet sodas make you gain weight, possibly because the artificial sweeteners perpetuate your craving for sugar? Dr. Howard Eisenson, executive director of the Duke Diet & Fitness Center, says there's just not enough evidence to support it.
“The data are conflicting and limited," he says. "If there’s an association with increased weight, it could simply be because overweight people are drinking diet sodas, or because people who are drinking them are compensating for those calories elsewhere.”
In other words, you may rationalize eating a candy bar since you’ve been drinking diet soda all day -- a psychological effect rather than a biological one.
Related Topics
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.