Now that the whole insulin response deal with artificial sweeteners has been debunked is there anything wrong with enjoying a delicious, ice cold diet dr. Pepper... or several, for that matter?
Printable View
Now that the whole insulin response deal with artificial sweeteners has been debunked is there anything wrong with enjoying a delicious, ice cold diet dr. Pepper... or several, for that matter?
Absolutely not. The Fang would be offended at the possibility that someone would suggest otherwise.
Thanks coach,
Its funny how many people, particularly fitness professionals, still think that artificial sweeteners are the devil and they “trick your brain” into an insulin response. People act like I’m smoking a cigarette when they see me with a diet soda in hand.
This has been debunked since when, late 2017?
Oh it's absurd. A third of the nation is overweight or obese and a fraction of these people abstain from diet soda in the name of being "healthy."
If you’d like some anecdotal n=1 evidence soda is my big vice to the point that when I switched from regular to diet a few years ago I lost 10 pounds with no other diet changes. Post LP I dropped close to 40 lbs (at 5’8 I went from 210ish to 170ish, now I’m back up to 185ish at more or less the same strength level for those concerned), and I drank a LOT of diet soda during the process. So have a Diet Dr. Pepper or 7!
Thats incredible, jake. Nice work man!
This is not an unusual result yet people still think it makes them fat. Love it
Brought this up at a work meeting today.
One coworker sent me a publication stated that sucralose was significantly disruptive to gut bacteria and he stated that aspartame and ace-k showed similar results. Thoughts on this, coach? Here is the article:
Revisited: Assessing the in vivo data on low/no-calorie sweeteners and the gut microbiota.
Schiffman SS, et al. Food Chem Toxicol. 2019.
Show full citation
Abstract
Over the last two decades, safety concerns about low/no-calorie sweeteners (LNCS) have been described in the archival scientific literature including elevated risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, excessive weight gain, cardiovascular disease, safety, and disruption of the gut microbiome. A recent review by Lobach, Roberts, and Roland in Food and Chemical Toxicology examined 17 research articles on modulation of gut bacteria by LNCS along with other selected publications. In the conclusions of their paper, they claim that LNCS 1) do not affect gut microbiota at use levels and 2) are safe at levels approved by regulatory agencies. Both of these claims are incorrect. The scientific literature on LNCS clearly indicates that it is inappropriate to draw generalized conclusions regarding effects on gut microbiota and safety issues for compounds that vary widely chemical structure and pharmacokinetics. Scientific studies on the sweetener sucralose, used here as a representative LNCS, indicate that this organochlorine compound unequivocally and irrefutably disrupts the gut microbiome at doses relevant to human use. Results of dozens of additional research publications added and reviewed here also raise significant and extensive concerns about the safety of sucralose for the human food supply.
Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
PMID 31351100 [ - in process]
Full text
This is in fact true but like most things vary from person to person.
I’ll make sure to take a probiotic after I crush a 12pack of DDP
Your dentist might have something to say about it... sugar or no, the phosphoric acid in soft drinks* is hard on enamel.
* Old habits die hard. I grew up in the part of the world where, if you accepted an offer of "a Coke," they asked you "what kind?" and you replied "Dr Pepper" (or "orange Nehi").
Again, how much soda are we talking? A can or two per day is unlikely to jack up your teeth so long as you are brushing and flossing.
Thanks for clearing this up, Robert. I’ve heard the “diet soda tricks your pancreas” theory for years. It never make sense, particularly if my brain knows I’m not drinking sugar. I’m not one to let my pancreas boss my brain around.
There have actually been studies that have reported a glycemic response from smelling sugar. I dont' know how legitimate it is but I recall reading it. Diet soda definitely does not trick the pancreas though, that much we know.
Despite it being 'debunked', I still believe diet soda is a bad idea. Do what you enjoy, but if diet soda is the only way you can avoid obesity, you likely are living a life that will lead to metabolic disease or other medical conditions anyway.
Cigarettes with filters and diet soda drinks are similar in my mind; sure, they are enjoyable, but are you consuming it every day, in large amounts out of habit or because you really think it makes your life better? Did that "filter" or "diet" aspect really help you out?
I prefer coffee and tea.
I second what Stef said and would extend this to salt and added fats. The more extreme a flavor the more you crave it. Does this mean that you should never drink diet soda, eat diet ice cream, or enjoy pizza? Not at all, just means to be mindful of their effects on palate sensitivity. More fat/sugar/sweeteners/salt leads to more fat/sugar/sweeteners/salt, which could intern lead to excess weight gain and a higher risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases in the long run.
Who debunked this “myth”? I’m just interested in reading about this.
Who proved it as fact is the better question.
Dr. Rhoda Patrick talked about diet soda a little bit on Joe Rogans podcast. She was mainly talking about how it changes the gut biome. I’m not sure if that relates to insulin or not.
There appears to be some truth to the microbiome stuff and I am inclined to believe it because many clients report gastrointestinal distress with artificial sweeteners. Then again, some (such as myself) do not. So there is certainly variability there. In terms of insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance the verdict is not out but from a practical standpoint I'd defer back to what Stef said. Extreme flavors are difficult to satisfy and the more you eat them the more you want them. Not everyone of course but many people have experienced this. Second, there are data reporting an insulin response after smelling sugar so it could just be that if the brain perceives sugar ingestion it may respond. Again, not fact but something currently explored in the professional research community.
“ 2014, Israeli scientists made headlines when they linked artificial sweeteners to changes in gut bacteria.
Mice, when fed artificial sweeteners for 11 weeks, had negative changes in their gut bacteria that caused increased blood sugar levels (7Trusted Source).
When they implanted the bacteria from these mice into germ-free mice, they also had increases in blood sugar levels.
Interestingly, the scientists were able to reverse the increase in blood sugar levels by changing the gut bacteria back to normal.
However, these results haven't been tested or replicated in humans.”
How Artificial Sweeteners Affect Blood Sugar and Insulin
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but one of my coworkers brought this article to my attention:
Should you stop drinking diet soda? | Precision Nutrition
Apparently aspartame is much less likely to disrupt the gut biome than sucralose or even stevia.
I never drank sodas for pleasure because they generally taste like crap, but I drank them with every meal because I liked the sweet contrast to whatever I was eating. I never drank diet because those tasted worse. In an effort to reduce caffeine, though, I quit all sodas and started carrying around little bottles of lemon flavoring to squirt into a cup of water. These are artificially sweetened, but I don't notice the off-flavor like I did with diet sodas. I lost a few pounds, but nothing major. I guess I ended up removing from my diet the equivalent of 2 cans of coke and maybe the equivalent of sweet tea. My blood sugar fell, though, so that was bonus. I'd really like to give up the two cups of coffee I drink per day, because I use loads of sugar, but I really like coffee.
So what about "aspartame poisoning," aspartame causing cancer, MS-like symptoms, etc,? BS? Honest question
Try having fruit to end your meal. That has worked wonders for me and my step-brother in terms of managing the "sweet tooth."
We'll never consume enough to match the amount consumed in the rodent studies by which these claims originate from. It can piss off your gut microbiome though.
I have a couple of vices and one of them is diet soda. I've been drinking too much of it for many, many years. I don't know if it causes cancer or not but if it does, get in line. Anecdotally I can say with confidence that it doesn't make me fat as some studies suggest. If it did I'd weigh 400 pounds.
Aspartame can also be a headache or migraine trigger for some people.
According to this article, aspartame doesn’t make it to the colon and is less likely to piss off your gut biome, unless I’m misinterpreting something.
“Those that make their way to your colon, for instance—such as stevia, sucralose, and to some extent, saccharin—might be more likely to present problems, he says.” -Dr. Mattes
First, aspartame itself does not reach the bloodstream fully intact but the phenyalanine and aspartic acid do after it is hydrolyzed. The methanol enters portal circulation and goes to the liver where it is converted to formaldehyde, which converts into formic acid and urinated out. There are data demonstrating dysbiosis mediated glucose intolerance in rats megadosed with saccharin, sucralose, and aspartame.
Second, there is microbiome located in the small intestines as well.
It depends on the person. I actually have nothing against artificial sweeteners and consume them myself. But sure that’s plausible. More microbes to piss off.
Plus Stevia tastes like bigfoot’s dick
Certainly tastes like something I wouldn't want in my mouth. That would fit the criteria.
I disagree, sorta. Frequency and duration of exposure to acidic drinks will dictate the effect on tooth enamel. Sipping on "one or two" soft drinks including diet soft drinks throughout the day can definitely result in demineralization of enamel. Saliva along with brushing and flossing does a terrific job of "repairing" demineralized enamel if given the opportunity but that opportunity is not there if soft drinks are casually sipped over a long time period like an 8-5 job. (Now off dentist soap box)
I can find no redeeming quality in any soft drinks/sports drinks except taking up valuable space in my GI tract that could be used for real food or a more enjoyable liquid like beer.
My dentist told me once that people who get cavities often have good gums and people who don't get cavities often have gum problems. It's rare that we are exempt from both at least according to this dentist. So my advice there is if you have shitty teeth you may just wanna lay off carbonated beverages altogether. If you have shitty gums you're probably fine. Most importantly if you DGAF about diet soda like yourself then......don't.drink.it. For those that do, drink on and just take this all into consideration as you do.