Should you Ditch the Diet Coke? 🥤

Diet sodas are ever popular among the girlies, the dieters, and the almond moms. Some of you drink liters of it daily, some of you have one per week, some of you don't drink it at all. But, there's no question that Diet Coke brings a lot of controversy & confusion, and we wanted to clear the air for you as Registered Dietitians.

❌ The Controversy

• Aspartame is the non-nutritive sweetener (or zero calorie sweetener) used in Diet Coke that some studies suggest can increase your risk of cancer.

• Observational studies suggest a potential link of diet soda consumption and chronic conditions, such as metabolic syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

• Some studies highlight the fact that diet sodas are acidic and can lead to enamel erosion in teeth.

• Studies also suggest lower bone density due to Diet Coke intake.

🤔 The Explanation

• Aspartame & Cancer Risk: It's important to consider that the dose at which it can increase your risk of cancer is 40-50mg/kg/day. In layman's terms, this means that someone weighing about 150 lbs would need to drink about 18 cans of Diet Coke per day, over many years, in order to start to possibly see that impact.

• Chronic Conditions: This potential link is an association and doesn't prove cause and effect. This means that it's also possible that individuals who have higher health risks may choose diet soda more often.

• Acidity & Enamel Health: The frequency, not volume, of acid (Diet Coke) contact with teeth is more important to consider for enamel erosion. So, slowly sipping 1 diet coke over many hours is more damaging to your enamel than drinking it quickly.

• Bone density Risk: The research suggests that 1 or more diet soda per day is associated with lower bone density possibly due to phosphoric acid and caffeine in Diet Coke. However, it's also important to consider the possibility that individuals who drink Diet Coke may also be consuming less calcium-rich beverages (i.e. milk).

✅ The Recommendation from Dietitians

• The occasional Diet Coke is not likely going to have any impact on your health, whatsoever. Please, feel free to go for the diet soda every once in a while.

• If you're typically a regular Coke/soda drinker, we do recommend switching to Diet Coke/soda to reduce your added sugar intake, along with the risk of blood sugar disruptions (i.e. Diabetes, insulin resistance, etc). We recommend this especially if you're at risk for Diabetes (i.e. it runs in your family) or already have Pre-Diabetes or Diabetes.

• If you're prone to dental conditions or at risk for osteoporosis (i.e. menopausal women), we recommend reducing or cutting out your soda intake in general.