5 ms·

> the backlash of "unnatural chemicals" which sceptics (sic.) believe must obviously be bad for you. You mean like the fact that they inhibit beneficial intes

> the backlash of "unnatural chemicals" which sceptics (sic.) believe must obviously be bad for you. You mean like the fact that they inhibit beneficial intestinal flora [1], or that numerous studies have found that people have a higher risk for diabetes if they drink diet soda [2], or that people gain weight when they switch to diet sofa from regular [3]? Yeah, those wacky skeptics - they'll believe anything... [1] http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/10.1139/apnm-2016-0346#.WDxeChIrKRs http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/10.1139/apnm-2016-0346#.... [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23364017/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23364017/ [3] http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0167241#sec020 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal....

ClassyJacket 10y ago
It's literally impossible to gain weight from drinking diet soda. It doesn't have food energy. It can't break thermodynamics. It can only be explained by other factors like people over compensating with other calorie consumption.
- bowersbros 10y ago
  Could things such as chemical imbalance or just the chemicals themselves affect metabolism / digestion, causing weight gain?
  - AstralStorm 10y ago
    That requires some good research to prove. What is known is that suddenly cutting caffeine after large regular intake will cause weight gain.
spullara 10y ago
On the other hand, I stopped drinking all diet sodas and just drank water / carbonated water the last year. Absolutely no difference. Didn't even notice the lack of caffeine going from 6 diet dr peppers per day down to 0.
- AstralStorm 10y ago
  Which means of you drank unsweetened caffeine you might lose weight.
  - spullara 10y ago
    You think? I'll be on the lookout for carbonated caffeine water.
taneq 10y ago
If you switch to diet soda from regular soda because of weight issues or diabetes risk, that seems like a pretty serious self-selection bias for later weight issues or diabetes risk. https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/enhanced/webdr05/2013/4/29/16/enhanced-buzz-28133-1367269179-3.jpg https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/enhanced/web...
pascalxus 10y ago
These experiments are mainly just correlational, they do not control the usage of diet sodas. So, of course, people who drink diet sodas are going to be heavier: they're the ones trying to loose weight and hence the ones who will gain the most weight! There's no reason to drink diet soda if your body doesn't have any problems with weight.
AstralStorm 10y ago
Number 1: humans are not mice, the research cited does not even suggest that mice gain weight or how large dose is required. (BTW circumventing paywalls sucks) Number 2: major confounder is that people who eat unhealthy or are already obese drink those diet drinks. People who aren't drink normal ones. Needs interventional study not dumb epidemiology. Number 3: see number 2.

ClassyJacket 10y ago

It's literally impossible to gain weight from drinking diet soda. It doesn't have food energy. It can't break thermodynamics. It can only be explained by other factors like people over compensating with other calorie consumption.

bowersbros 10y ago
Could things such as chemical imbalance or just the chemicals themselves affect metabolism / digestion, causing weight gain?
- AstralStorm 10y ago
  That requires some good research to prove. What is known is that suddenly cutting caffeine after large regular intake will cause weight gain.

spullara 10y ago

On the other hand, I stopped drinking all diet sodas and just drank water / carbonated water the last year. Absolutely no difference. Didn't even notice the lack of caffeine going from 6 diet dr peppers per day down to 0.

AstralStorm 10y ago
Which means of you drank unsweetened caffeine you might lose weight.
- spullara 10y ago
  You think? I'll be on the lookout for carbonated caffeine water.

taneq 10y ago

If you switch to diet soda from regular soda because of weight issues or diabetes risk, that seems like a pretty serious self-selection bias for later weight issues or diabetes risk. https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/enhanced/webdr05/2013/4/29/16/enhanced-buzz-28133-1367269179-3.jpg https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/enhanced/web...

pascalxus 10y ago

These experiments are mainly just correlational, they do not control the usage of diet sodas. So, of course, people who drink diet sodas are going to be heavier: they're the ones trying to loose weight and hence the ones who will gain the most weight! There's no reason to drink diet soda if your body doesn't have any problems with weight.

AstralStorm 10y ago

Number 1: humans are not mice, the research cited does not even suggest that mice gain weight or how large dose is required. (BTW circumventing paywalls sucks) Number 2: major confounder is that people who eat unhealthy or are already obese drink those diet drinks. People who aren't drink normal ones. Needs interventional study not dumb epidemiology. Number 3: see number 2.