Study on Regular and Diet Sodas - ThinnerTimes

Gladitsme · 07-06-2005, 02:07 PM

The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio ran an
eight year study to study the effects of soft drink use. Sharon P.
Fowler, MPH, who ran the study, had this shocking statement to say,
"What didn't surprise us was that total soft drink use was linked to
overweight and obesity. What was surprising was when we looked at
people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even
higher."

Of the 622 participants—all of normal weight at the beginning of the
study, about a third became overweight or obese.

For the regular soft drink drinkers, the risk of becoming overweight
or obese was:

*26% for up to ½ can each day
*30.4% for ½ to one can each day
*32.8% for 1 to 2 cans each day
*47.2% for more than 2 cans each day.

But look at the increase for diet soft-drink drinkers!

*36% for up to ½ can per day
*37.5% for ½ to one can per day
*54.5% for 1 to 2 cans per day
*57.1% for more than 2 cans each day.

For each can of diet soda consumed, a person's risk of obesity went up
41%!!!

One of the theories of why the difference may have something to do
with trying to fool our bodies. We give them the sweet taste of a diet
drink, but no calories. Another recent study showed that baby rats
when fed artificial sweeteners craved more calories than baby rats fed
real sugar.

Fowler says, "If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot
of calories, but it isn't there, your body is alerted to the
possibility that there is something there and it will search for the
calories promised but not delivered."

She goes on to say, "People think they can just fool the body. But
maybe the body isn't fooled. If you are not giving your body those
calories you promised it, maybe your body will retaliate by wanting
more calories. Some soft drink studies also suggest that diet drinks
stimulate appetite."

mfergusont · 07-06-2005, 02:24 PM

Wow! Thanks for the info. I always drank tons of diet pepsi, it was like I was addicted to it. I would drink 6-10 cans per day depending on if it was a weekend. I haven't had any for 3 weeks and 1 day. I don't miss it anymore.

I was thinking that maybe dieting before was hard because the carbonation in sodas was expanding in my stomach so it couldn't shrink so I was always struggling with being really hungry. Maybe that is one reason why diets never worked!

GypsyGirl · 07-06-2005, 02:33 PM

Wow!

I've pretty much given up soda all together since it's a no-no for all WLS (tho I really like Diet Coke with Lime and Diet Dr. Pepper), but it makes it easier to give up when you realize you can clean all the corrosive junk on your car's battery terminal with Coke! Yikes - that can't be good for your innards!

LizardQueen · 07-07-2005, 11:21 AM

Thanks for the info. I drank a 12 pack of Diet Coke a day before wls. I don't touch it ever now. I'm glad to have that monkey off my back! Now, it's propel, diet snapple peach and plum a granite tea, V8, water, and crystal light.