Can drinking Diet Soda still make you fat? Also is it true that Aspartame can cause cancer?

[Anonymous]

I made a healthy diet decision over 2 years ago to stop drinking soda, along with working out and exercising again it helped me lose 53 pounds!!!, obviously not drinking soda anymore was not the only factor for this huge weight loss, but lately in the past month I started drinking soda again but only diet soda, specifically diet Pepsi and diet Coke, when I read the nutritional facts it says no sugar, but one of my friends told me when I was drinking a Diet Coke at a party, said to me that the chemical contained in a lot of Sodas, aspartame, can cause cancer, is he right?

[Anonymous]

Diet sodas are sweetened with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, cyclamate, saccharin, acesulfame-k or sucralose. These drinks are calorie free, which technically should help people lose weight and prevent sugar-related diseases like metabolic syndrome and diabetes. However, the evidence for these beverages having any use is completely nonexistent. The metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors for disease that often occur together and raise your risk of diabetes, stroke and heart disease. It is defined as having at least three of the following:
Abdominal obesity (belly fat)
High fasting glucose
High triglycerides
Low HDL cholesterol
Elevated blood pressure
Drinking “calorie free” beverages instead of sugary ones does not appear to be helpful against the metabolic syndrome. Observational studies show a correlation between diet soda and the metabolic syndrome, which can lead to serious diseases.
The main reason people switch to diet drinks is to cut back on calories in order to lose weight. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to work.

In a study, consumption of diet soda was associated with double the risk of becoming overweight or obese. Other prospective studies also show an association with artificial sweeteners and weight gain. However, we do have one randomized controlled trial, diet soda didn't make things worse, but didn't make them better either. Neither did water. I’d like to point out that many short-term feeding trials show that artificial sweeteners can increase appetite and food intake in the short-term compared to sugar, but other studies show the opposite effect or no effect at all.

I personally choose to avoid diet soft drinks, mainly because I don’t like the way I feel when I drink them and prefer to keep my body as free of artificial chemicals as possible.

[Asker]

so you would avoid them?

[Opinion Owner]

Of course

[aamy811]

Umm I don't know about cancer, but it's definitely not cancer. Sugar free= loaded with chemical sweeteners. It's not better an drinking soda will get your body addicted to faux sugars again. In fact I think soda is the main cause for sugar addictions. Most people don't understand why their still gaining weight even though they're eating better. They're nt eating their calories, but they're drinking them

[Roarke]

the carbonation in all sodas draws moisture to your cells, which can cause bloating... but that is their purpose, to make you thirsty for more.

since the inception of artificial sweeteners in the 60'70's there has always been suspicion that they can be carcinogenic, but nothing direct enough to cause the FDA to anything but issue warnings.

[Asker]

sounds like diet soda can still make you fat

[Roarke]

sorry for the delay... and yep.

[Asker]

better reason for me to stop

[Mesonfielde]

You sound like a person who should watch "FED UP" because it answers most of your questions!

[Asker]

good idea

[moviedude714]

I wouldn't know but it doesn't sound shocking