Is sparkling water with the label “0 calories” safe and can it harm health?
How is diet lemonade and diabetes related? Can Coca-Cola cause kidney disease? How much soda can you drink without harm and fear?
Lemonades with artificial sweeteners are popular all over the world, especially among people who want to consume less calories and sugar.
The most popular sugar substitutes added to drinks:
- aspartame
- cyclamate
- saccharin
- acesulfame potassium
- sucralose
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Diet lemonades appeared in the 50s 2000s and were intended for people with diabetes.
But they quickly gained popularity in the market, and now almost every brand has a “light” version of the traditional taste – Coca-Cola Zero, Pepsi Max and so on.
It would seem that such lemonades do not contain sugar and calories, which means that they will not cause harm. Is it so? Let's figure it out together.
What does diet carbonated water consist of?
In essence, such lemonades are a mixture of carbonated water, artificial or natural sweetener, dyes, flavorings and other food additives.
Usually they have very few calories and almost no nutrients.
However, not all lemonades with sugar substitutes have no calories. For example, some drinks contain stevia, which contains both calories and sugar.
Drink recipes may vary, but most contain the following ingredients:
- Sparkling water. It is produced by dissolving carbon dioxide in water under pressure.
- Sugar substitute. These include common artificial sweeteners (aspartame, saccharin, sucralose, etc.) or natural (stevia). Sweeteners are usually 200-13,000 times sweeter than sugar.
- Acid. To add tartness, some acids are used – citric, malic, phosphoric, etc.
- Coloring. Carotenoids, anthocyanins and caramel are most often used.
- Flavoring agents. Diet drinks use natural juice concentrates and artificial flavorings.
- Preservative. Without them, the drink will spoil quickly. The most frequently used preservative is potassium benzoate.
- Vitamins and minerals. Some producers of diet lemonades make them vitaminized in order to promote them as “healthy” drinks.
- Caffeine. Many diet sodas contain as much caffeine as regular sodas. There are 46 milligrams of caffeine in a can of Coca-Cola Zero, and 35 milligrams in Pepsi.
Can you lose weight by replacing regular lemonade with diet soda?
Since lemonades with sugar substitutes usually have no calories, it's logical to assume that they help you lose weight.
However, studies show mixed results.
Several studies have shown that consumption of artificial sweeteners and large quantities of diet drinks is associated with an increased risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Scientists have suggested that lemonade may increase appetite by stimulating hunger hormones, altering sweet taste receptors and causing dopamine reactions in the brain. And although the drink itself does not contain calories, it can provoke us to eat more sweet and high-calorie food.
Other experts tested this hypothesis on volunteers and did not find confirmation.
They hypothesized that the correlation between diet drink consumption and weight gain was due to the poor eating habits of the participants. People who buy lemonade more often eat less well in general, and carbonated water in this case is not a cause, but a symptom.
Another group of researchers found that diet lemonade still helps to lose weight, if replace them with regular drinks with sugar.
Why is there no clear answer?
Confusion adds bias in the scientific literature.
Studies funded by sweetener manufacturers have produced more “pleasantly” optimistic results. And independent studies are more “gloomy”.
Can diet lemonade cause diabetes and heart disease?
Scientists do not agree on this issue either.< /p>
One study showed an 8-13% increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes when drinking one glass of diet soda per day. Others “raised” the rates to 21% after a study of 65,000 women.
A third group of scientists recently refuted the conclusions of previous studies and “wrote” diabetes risks to the health status, weight changes and body mass index of the participants.
With cardiovascular diseases, the story is similar – the results of studies show a 9% increase in risk of hypertension for every glass of “zero” soda (and a small increase in stroke risk).
But these studies are all observational, so the link between lemonade consumption and risk may have another explanation, related with other reasons.
It is possible that participants already at risk for diabetes and hypertension simply chose to drink more soda and eat less healthy food.
Is it true that diet soda causes kidney disease?
Maybe.
In a recent study, scientists analyzed the diets of 15,000 people and found that the risk of severe kidney disease increased with each additional serving of “zero” soda.
Seven glasses of lemonade per week (against one) gave a two-fold increase in risk.
Scientists hypothesized that the reason for this could be the high phosphorus content in lemonade, which probably increases the acid load on the kidneys.
But there are no simple answers in science, so scientists note that the correlation can be attributed to other factors. lifestyle and nutrition factors.
Can lemonade cause kidney stones?
And yes and no.
One study showed that drinking diet soda slightly increased the risk of developing kidney stones (but still less than drinking regular soda).
But another study showed that the high citrate content in some sodas and malate can help cure kidney stones!
Especially in people with low urine pH and urate stones.
However, it is too early to “treat” with carbonated water, more research is needed.
Can lemonade with sweeteners cause premature birth?
It is possible (so it is better to completely avoid it during pregnancy).
Several large studies have found a link between drinking lemonade with artificial sweeteners and negative outcomes in pregnant women. Among them are premature birth and childhood obesity in babies.
The risk of giving birth prematurely varies between 11% and 40% (depending on the results of a specific study).
It should be noted that the studies were observational, so the specific mechanism of influence of lemonades on the course of pregnancy is still unclear.
More recently, there was another study in the UK that showed no link between lemonade and delivery time. But it had significantly fewer participants (9,000 compared to 120,000 in previous studies), and scientists only tested the relationship between the course of pregnancy and the use of diet cola.
What about childhood obesity?
What about childhood obesity?
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It was found that the daily consumption of drinks with artificial sweeteners by the mother is associated with a marked increase in the risk of overweight in babies under one year.
More time and more research is needed to find out the reasons for this (as well as to assess the long-term risks).
Is it true that artificial sweeteners in sparkling water cause cancer?
No. At least you don't have to worry about it!
Artificial sweeteners are in no way linked to cancer – no reverse research has shown evidence.
There have been mentions of a small increase in the risk of lymphoma and multiple myeloma in men , but the research results turned out to be frankly weak.
What are the other effects of drinking diet drinks?
- Zero soda may reduce the degree of fatty liver (but a second study found no such effect).
- Diet lemonade does not worsen the symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn (but it is also worth checking again).
- Artificial sweeteners can alter the gut microflora, which reduces blood sugar control and potentially increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. One study found that all six artificial sweeteners tested damaged the gut microbiome in different ways. But another group of scientists clarified that the test subjects' reaction to the sweetener was highly individualized.
- A diet with frequent consumption of coffee increases the risk of developing osteoporosis in women (but not in men). It is assumed that caffeine and phosphorus in cola can interfere with the normal absorption of calcium and cause a loss of bone mineral density.
- Both diet and regular lemonade are associated with an increased risk of tooth decay due to enamel erosion. The reason for this is added acids.
- Scientists noticed a higher level of depression in people who drank 4 or more glasses of lemonade a day (both diet and regular). It is still unclear whether carbonated water is “to blame” or whether other factors play a role.
So can you drink diet drinks?
Judging by everything is possible. If you do it rarely, in small quantities, and brush your teeth afterwards.
If you are pregnant, it is better not to drink lemonade, just in case (neither regular nor diet).
Results many of the studies we have discussed seem highly contradictory, due to their observational nature. Therefore, before you worry, wait for full-fledged qualitative studies.
One thing can be said for sure – diet drinks do not give us anything valuable, except for a few seconds of taste on the tongue.
That is why ordinary lemonade should be replaced not diet carbonated water, and something useful – milk, coffee, black or green tea.
strong>
It was found that the daily consumption of drinks with artificial sweeteners by the mother is associated with a marked increase in the risk of overweight in babies under one year.
More time and more research is needed to find out the reasons for this (as well as to assess the long-term risks).
Is it true that artificial sweeteners in sparkling water cause cancer?
No. At least you don't have to worry about it!
Artificial sweeteners are in no way linked to cancer – no reverse research has shown evidence.
There have been mentions of a small increase in the risk of lymphoma and multiple myeloma in men , but the research results turned out to be frankly weak.
What are the other effects of drinking diet drinks?
- Zero soda may reduce the degree of fatty liver (but a second study found no such effect).
- Diet lemonade does not worsen the symptoms of acid reflux and heartburn (but it is also worth checking again).
- Artificial sweeteners can alter the gut microflora, which reduces blood sugar control and potentially increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. One study found that all six artificial sweeteners tested damaged the gut microbiome in different ways. But another group of scientists clarified that the test subjects' reaction to the sweetener was highly individualized.
- A diet with frequent consumption of coffee increases the risk of developing osteoporosis in women (but not in men). It is assumed that caffeine and phosphorus in cola can interfere with the normal absorption of calcium and cause a loss of bone mineral density.
- Both diet and regular lemonade are associated with an increased risk of tooth decay due to enamel erosion. The reason for this is added acids.
- Scientists noticed a higher level of depression in people who drank 4 or more glasses of lemonade a day (both diet and regular). It is still unclear whether carbonated water is “to blame” or whether other factors play a role.
So can you drink diet drinks?
Judging by everything is possible. If you do it rarely, in small quantities, and brush your teeth afterwards.
If you are pregnant, it is better not to drink lemonade, just in case (neither regular nor diet).
Results many of the studies we have discussed seem highly contradictory, due to their observational nature. Therefore, before you worry, wait for full-fledged qualitative studies.
One thing can be said for sure – diet drinks do not give us anything valuable, except for a few seconds of taste on the tongue.
That is why ordinary lemonade should be replaced not diet carbonated water, and something useful – milk, coffee, black or green tea.
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