4 ms·

Diet soda and artificial sweeteners is a gateway crutch. Took years to stop drinking soda and decade of diet but finally kicked it. Worth the effort and recomme

by ck2 5y ago

Diet soda and artificial sweeteners is a gateway crutch. Took years to stop drinking soda and decade of diet but finally kicked it. Worth the effort and recommended. Everyone is quick to hand wave "doesn't cause cancer" blah blah but what they hop and skip over is it definitely changes gut microbe for the worse.

colordrops 5y ago
What are your thoughts on soda water?
- mmastrac 5y ago
  I love soda water but the last study I read suggested it was carbonation that should be avoided. I still drink it.
  - andi999 5y ago
    Can you find the source? I doubt that carbonation is a problem.
    - pivo 5y ago
      https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17023723/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17023723/ Apparently some association to low bone density in women.
      - andi999 5y ago
        Well, this one supports the phosphoric acid bad thing, but not the carbonated being bad idea.
    - mmastrac 5y ago
      https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28228348/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28228348/ Carbon dioxide in carbonated beverages induces ghrelin release and increased food consumption in male rats: Implications on the onset of obesity
  - JohnWhigham 5y ago
    I remember reading something that the acidity in sodas was way worse than plain club soda. Something about the sugar reacting with the CO2 acids.
pjerem 5y ago
Actually, I totally stopped drinking any soda just by replacing it by sparkling water (self made with sodastream). It just worked (for me) and I can’t drink a coke anymore without having nausea due to the high sugar dosage.
asiachick 5y ago
For me, soda scratches my throat in a good way (like having an itch scratched). In way that my life would be worse without. I like tea and water and milk too but there are times I need the scratchiness of the carbonation that non-carbonated drinks don't provide. As an example, if I have a mild sore throat, carbonated drinks sooth it much more than non.
- josefresco 5y ago
  Thanks for sharing this anecdote. I've had this same "throat feeling" observation for years (thought I was just weird). I used to drink Coke semi-regularly, and would prefer it over water when I had a sore throat both because of the "scratchiness" but also because it would coat my throat whereas water would "strip" my throat of mucus/saliva.
i_cannot_hack 5y ago
> definitely changes gut microbe for the worse. Certainly not 'definitely' true. "To our knowledge, there are no data on the potential influences of aspartame on the human gut microbiome. It is hard to understand how aspartame influences the gut microbiota because this NNS is rapidly hydrolyzed in the small intestine. In fact, even with the ingestion of very high doses of aspartame (>200 mg/kg), no aspartame is found in the blood because of its rapid breakdown. Upon ingestion, aspartame breaks down into residual components, including aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol and their components, which are readily absorbed so that they do not reach the large bowel." Effects of Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiota: A Review of Experimental Studies and Clinical Trials: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6363527/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6363527/

by ck2 5y ago

colordrops 5y ago

What are your thoughts on soda water?

mmastrac 5y ago
I love soda water but the last study I read suggested it was carbonation that should be avoided. I still drink it.
- andi999 5y ago
  Can you find the source? I doubt that carbonation is a problem.
  - pivo 5y ago
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17023723/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17023723/ Apparently some association to low bone density in women.
    - andi999 5y ago
      Well, this one supports the phosphoric acid bad thing, but not the carbonated being bad idea.
  - mmastrac 5y ago
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28228348/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28228348/ Carbon dioxide in carbonated beverages induces ghrelin release and increased food consumption in male rats: Implications on the onset of obesity
- JohnWhigham 5y ago
  I remember reading something that the acidity in sodas was way worse than plain club soda. Something about the sugar reacting with the CO2 acids.

pjerem 5y ago

Actually, I totally stopped drinking any soda just by replacing it by sparkling water (self made with sodastream). It just worked (for me) and I can’t drink a coke anymore without having nausea due to the high sugar dosage.

asiachick 5y ago

For me, soda scratches my throat in a good way (like having an itch scratched). In way that my life would be worse without. I like tea and water and milk too but there are times I need the scratchiness of the carbonation that non-carbonated drinks don't provide. As an example, if I have a mild sore throat, carbonated drinks sooth it much more than non.

josefresco 5y ago
Thanks for sharing this anecdote. I've had this same "throat feeling" observation for years (thought I was just weird). I used to drink Coke semi-regularly, and would prefer it over water when I had a sore throat both because of the "scratchiness" but also because it would coat my throat whereas water would "strip" my throat of mucus/saliva.

i_cannot_hack 5y ago

> definitely changes gut microbe for the worse. Certainly not 'definitely' true. "To our knowledge, there are no data on the potential influences of aspartame on the human gut microbiome. It is hard to understand how aspartame influences the gut microbiota because this NNS is rapidly hydrolyzed in the small intestine. In fact, even with the ingestion of very high doses of aspartame (>200 mg/kg), no aspartame is found in the blood because of its rapid breakdown. Upon ingestion, aspartame breaks down into residual components, including aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol and their components, which are readily absorbed so that they do not reach the large bowel." Effects of Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiota: A Review of Experimental Studies and Clinical Trials: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6363527/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6363527/